Best. Surf. Camp. Ever.

Photo: Oriana Fowler/Surf Simply

So what and where exactly is this magical surf camp? It's Surf Simply, located in Nosara, on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula. The beautiful resort is located about 800 yards from Playa Guiones and its consistent, year-round surf along four miles of white sand.

Ed relaxing in the deep pool at the Rancho after our morning surf lesson.

Neither my husband Ed nor I have previously surfed and I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this experience. For once, I left the entire vacation planning to Ed. I literally had no idea where we were going or what we were getting ourselves into. In April, a few days before we left, we received an email from Gem, one of Surf Simply's owners, outlining our arrival and first 24 hours at the Rancho. Breakfast, surf lesson #1, surf theory class, lunch, yoga, surf lesson #2 and dinner. Repeat five times (plus a day off mid-week). Whoa. I was a little intimidated but excited at the same time. However, after the first time I waded out into the water, battling the whitewater while trying to control the huge board banging against my arms and legs, I was a bit skeptical that this was the best way to spend our vacation. After those first two lessons on Day 1, I was overwhelmed and completely humbled by the ocean. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain and physical activity, but I wasn't sure if I was going to survive the whole week, especially given my fear of the ocean and open water. Did I mention that before?

In the end, it was the coaches and my fellow surfers that got me through the week. By the end of the week, we were all cheering for each other out in the water, so proud of everyone's accomplishments. Seriously, it was like a pep squad out the back, hooting and hollering every time someone caught a wave.