Catching waves and cultivating mindfulness at Surf Synergy
By Johanna Jainchill
JACO, Costa Rica — Coming in from the afternoon heat, sunburned and smiling, Spencer, a guest from Seattle, settled in for lunch with the satisfying exhaustion of a morning spent on the waves.
Over an organic Buddha bowl at Surf Synergy’s communal table, he explained what he thinks is the secret to the success of the resort he was visiting for the second time that year. “I could replicate the rooms and the property,” he said, “but it’s the culture and the people that make the difference.”
For Spencer, Surf Synergy had been transformative. His experience put into perspective for me the idea of surfing as wellness. Formerly a “workaholic control freak,” he told me he learned to let go on the waves.
The Surf Synergy ethos is that anyone can learn to surf. The property launched here in 2022 and offers seven-day packages that include yoga, massage, breath work and ice bath therapy along with all meals and one excursion. But the main focus is the almost daily, one-on-one surf or stand-up paddleboarding instruction.
The approach is holistic, with everything from breath to massage tailored to surfing or paddleboarding recovery and performance. The food, healthful and organic, is meant to provide the energy needed for the waves. Even the resort’s sunblock blend, made with cacao and beeswax, protects the skin while keeping harmful chemicals out of the ocean that provides the waves.
I arrived with few expectations, other than that my son would advance the surf skills he’d gained from a few lessons the summer before. But surfing isn’t something I’d ever imagined doing, and my plan was to work on paddleboarding. That changed quickly.
David, my coach for the week and Surf Synergy’s head instructor, spent a morning paddleboarding with me in a beautiful ocean cove. During our session, he said I might enjoy surfing and should maybe try it once. His encouragement, and the smiles and excitement from the surf group that day, convinced me. I gave it a try — and never looked back.
David’s technique, bestowed upon all the instructors, enabled everyone to stand on their boards on Day 1. A few people who had tried surfing elsewhere said they advanced much more quickly here. David has been teaching for decades and carefully selects instructors, many of whom compete internationally: One was ranked No. 47 in the world by the World Surf League, another is the 2018 Costa Rica paddleboarding national champion and is on Costa Rica’s national surf team.
Aside from the expertise, every session is followed by video analysis. I found it very helpful to see myself surfing and understand what to change the next day. It can be odd at first that those photographers and videographers show up at everything from surf to yoga, but at the end of each day, everyone loved getting their photos and videos.
The instructors seemed as happy as the guests when their students caught a buena ola, or good wave, their fists pumping along with their students’ at the accomplishment. Quite a few guests were riding waves they’d never thought possible after just a few lessons. As for me, I was happy to just ride my board straight to the beach, and always looked forward to the sliced mango and watermelon awaiting us at the end of sessions.
The surfing was fun and exhilarating, but I quickly understood how it fits into wellness, with balance, focus and breath key to being able to ride.
Surfing was the first way Surf Synergy took me out of my comfort zone. I had no intention of actually doing the ice bath — I planned to just observe with journalistic intent — but ended up being the first in my family to take the plunge, lasting three minutes. I’ve done cold plunge pools and arctic leaps, but this ice bath was a ritual. Our instructor, Fernando, started with a lesson in paced breathing to bring the nervous system to a meditative state, and soothing music and his continued breathing tips helped those long minutes go by.
It’s worth getting Marcel Oliveira’s explanation of ice bath benefits, a lesson in inflammatory proteins, lactic acid and mitochondria and how it all circles back to surfing and mindfulness.
Oliveira is the resort co-founder and program director (and a champion paddleboarder), and his program is brought to life by a staff that quickly makes guests feel part of a big family. That’s made easier with such a small guest contingent, who quickly got to know each other by doing yoga, surf or paddleboard together and sharing all meals in the Shaka House. The communal nature of the experience adds to the fun, and in a nice touch, at least one staffer joins the group at every meal — it could be a surf coach, the activities coordinator or Oliveira.
Although wine and beer are available upon request, nobody opted for them, and everyone seemed happy to enjoy the variety of freshly squeezed juices at every meal. Organic tea and high-altitude-grown Costa Rican coffee are available all day.
My favorite beverage was the cold coconut water served in its shell every time we returned from the beach. I’d often take it back to the hammock in front of our bungalow, looking out at the Pacific Ocean and lush hills around us. I don’t know if it made me a more mindful person, but in those moments, Surf Synergy certainly made me a happier one.
Rates are $3,150 per person for seven-nights, based on double occupancy, all-inclusive.