I was excited to take this trip I have been planning for over a year, but I had very "neutral... read more
I was excited to take this trip I have been planning for over a year, but I had very "neutral... read more
Mentawais was a big trip across the globe! We had a blast at Pitstop Hill with the Barefoot team... read more
*I travel frequently, but never leave reviews - my experience with Barefoot was so awesome I felt compelled to write this.
If you're looking to quickly improve your surfing skills, I cannot recommend the Barefoot program enough. As someone who took 10+ surfing lessons BEFORE doing the Barefoot camp, I can honestly say that learned more in the first two days with Barefoot than from all of my previous time in the water.
From a cost/instruction standpoint, Barefoot is a no brainer. Add on the amazing team, and location (I was in Nosara, Costa Rica) , and its hard to imagine a better value Surf Camp. I plan to try to return annually!
This review would be missing something if I didn't mention the amazing team of instructors that made the experience so worthwhile. Naomi, Josh, and Chris were the most knowledgeable, kind, and FUN group of instructors you could ask for. They were extremely technical in their critique and feedback (which is key if you're focused on improvement), and also incredibly encouraging and patient. They're such a great team, I imagine it would be fun to travel with them, even if no surfing was involved. I'll definitely be sad if I return to Barefoot and don't have them again - thanks again you guys!!
I just returned from a 7-day surf camp in Nosara, Costa Rica, and my surfing ability improved more in that week than I really could have expected. I've been surfing for 9 months, and took about 15 lessons at home over course of those 9 months prior to attending the camp. I have to say, on a dollar for dollar basis, the surf camp is more than worth it when you compare it to the cost of taking lessons at home. Firstly, the written materials and videos they give you are the best complete set of instructional surf material that I've seen for a beginner to intermediate level surfer (you will have access to them before and after your trip). The in-water instruction is also great, but what sets them apart from your typical surf lesson are the video analysis sessions. During every morning surf session they had people on the beach filming everyone. Then, every afternoon, we would have a video analysis session with one of the instructors, where we would see ourselves surf and be given some things to work on. That would roll nicely into the next day's surf sessions, where we would implement those things. Having those videos to watch made all the difference. Watching those videos was comparable to the first time I heard my own voice in a recording - not at all what I thought! Josh, Naomi and Chris were amazing folks to learn from and spend a week with. And on top of the great surf instruction, you get a nice vacation to boot! I plan on returning to another Barefoot camp one day, and would recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their surfing in short period of time.
This was my second trip with Barefoot Surf and I highly recommend their surf camps. I went on their Nicaragua retreat a few years ago as a complete beginner, having never surfed, and returned this year for their Costa Rica trip. The Barefoot coaches — Naomi, Chelsea, Erin, and Chris — are amazing: so warm and encouraging and helpful and professional. The same was true of the staff in Nicaragua. As a surfer you get paired in the water with one other traveler and a local surf instructor so you get a ton of individualized attention. In Nicaragua the trip had several beginners at my level and Costa Rica had new surfers and also people who were intermediate, which was cool. It was comforting to be with new surfers and inspiring to see people who had more experience on the water, and Barefoot really meets you wherever you are and helps you advance from there. They give you videos to help you understand what to improve as you go out and surf and really sit down with you and try to help you make progress, which is deeply satisfying.
I’ve gone to Barefoot twice as a solo traveler and stayed in the shared rooms. It’s always a little scary to not know how the group will be or who you’re rooming with until you get there, but both times I made great friends who I’ve kept in touch with and had incredible experiences. The vibe of the surf camp is warm and friendly and joyful; everyone is there to really improve as a surfer, so you get close with people and make friends from all over the world. The accommodations both times were heaven — beautiful and quiet and clean and stunning — and the staff is always around and happy to help you with whatever you need, whether it’s a recommendation on where to grab dinner or how to book a little afternoon excursion on the day off. I had a fantastic time on both Barefoot trips and would go back again and again, and I know all of us on the Costa Rica trip felt the same way. A few of us are staying in touch and are already aiming for Bali.
Barefoot is a really special experience. I can’t recommend their trips enough.
Fantastic week. Exceptional staff was always attentive making sure you were getting the most out of the experience. Far superior to any surf instruction I had received prior. I learned a great deal and feel much more confident in large line ups. I definitely will attend another Barefoot camp in the future.
This Surf Camp was incredibly fun! Accommodations were lovely and all the staff was super friendly. The instruction was world class and I feel I went next level with the skills I learned here. I will be back definitely
I can only speak so far to their Costa Rica trip, but I plan to continue with Barefoot at other locations. To start, accommodations were significantly better than many packaged surf trips I've done in the past. The onsite restaurant was friendly and had good food. And Nosara has all the things you might want when not surfing. But the real gem in this trip is the surf instruction.
Now for the surf part. Barefoot has a full staff living onsite during your stay with two phenomenal surf instructors and two dedicated logistics staff make sure everything goes off without a hitch. They hire local surf instructors to be in the water with you while surfing so they can focus on capturing all the videos for review. The training materials take on the same polish as the videos they share in their Instagram, but there are a whole lot more of them available to you than just want you find publicly. They pair that with a tailored Trello plan that covers absolute beginner up to advanced surfing skillets. Any your progress will track along this plan with constant feedback and notes from your surf instructors. One-on-one meetings go over video and provide targeted feedback. Group meetings are broken into beginner and intermediate sessions so you can learn from feedback others in your group receive. And general theory sessions occur throughout the week. They even run through your video highlights with your in water instructors right on the beach before you head out so they know what to work on with you while you are surfing. And all the instruction is top notch.
Maybe if you just want a vacation with a little surfing then this all would be a bit too much for you, but if you're looking to acquire surfing skills that will serve you for the rest of your life then Barefoot is really the place to go. My fiance and a couple of friends went from absolute beginner to surfing green waves in a week. It sure took me longer than a week to make that progression when I first learned. And this quick improvement was the same with everyone in our cohort. Even the more advanced surfers made noticeable progress in just that week.I can't wait to visit another of their surf camps soon.