Coconut Harry's Instructor Bios - View Student Testimonials

Another way Coconut Harry’s supports the local community is by hiring local Costa Rican surf instructors. Our instructors are ISA certified and first aid certified. They are great surfers and coaches as well. Our own Cristian Santamaria is on the National Surf Team and finished 1st place in the long board division in his last contest.

Our instructors speak excellent english and are enthusiastic , patient, and determined to teach you to surf. Not only do they give great surf lessons but you can also learn about the local culture and practice some Spanish. We have both guy and girl instructors available. Feel like a local and help support the locals by learning to surf from Costa Ricans . That’s Pura Vida!!

 

Coco Steve- Long island, New York
- Age n/a ☺
- Owner and ISA Certified Surf Coach

I grew up surfing in Long Beach, NY back in the 70’s. I learned to surf when I was 10 yrs old. My parents bought me my first board. It was a twin fin short board with a Mickey Mouse graphic on the bottom. It was a classic but at the time I was embarrassed by the design. Dumb kid.. We had fun beach breaks with rock jetties dividing the different spots. I surfed Lido, Lincoln, Monroe, and Laurelton It was a very cool vibe back then with MR twin fins and the intro of thrusters hitting the scene. Wow, talk about showing your age. We surfed all year round with wet suits and snow on the ground. It was hardcore and fun!!

I moved to So California in my 20’s and surfed mostly Orange county waves from Huntington-Trestles and really enjoyed the laid back lifestyle of the west coast. We would ski Big Bear and surf Huntington on the same weekend and then drive to Baja Mexico for great waves, cheap beer, Tequila and tacos. Good times!!

I started coming to Costa Rica in 1992 and fell in love with the place. The scenery reminded me of Hawaii with the lush mountains and jungle close to the ocean. The waves are consistent all year round with beautiful surf beaches up and down the coast. With water temps in the 80’s I said goodbye to my wetsuits and after several surf trips I knew I wanted to one day live here full time and surf as much as possible. The dream came true in 2005 when I left Corporate America and moved to Playas De Nosara. I met the original Coconut Harry playing poker and the story goes he lost the shop to me in a big Texas Hold’em hand. It’s not the truth but it makes for a great story. The original Harry still comes down here to surf during the high season and is a great ambassador to the shop. He is a classic!!

Coconut Harry’s has taught thousands of people to surf for the first time. It’s a great feeling seeing the excitement people get when they catch and ride their first waves. I’m very proud of our surf instructors because they are enthusiastic, patient, and passionate about what they do. You can see by the pictures of them with their students how much fun they are all having. They are also great with intermediate surfers that want to get to the next level.

Thanks for your interest and taking the time to view the site. Myself and the Coconut Harry Instructors look forward to meeting you and giving you a great Costa Rica Surf experience. Pura Vida!!!

Cristian Santamaria - Garza, Costa Rica
- 25 years old
- ISA Ceritified
- First Aid Certified
- Member of the Costa Rica International Surf Team

Cristian started surfing when he was 10 years old when his uncle gave him a boogie board to use and taught him a few tricks. He did not like to lay on the board and started standing up right away. He soon traded his boogie board in for a surfboard. Now, 15 years later he was one of the top surfers in Costa Rica and competes on the National Surf Circuit as well as the Billabong World Surfing Competition. He surfs in both the short board and long board divisions on the national circuit. He finished 2nd place in the nation in 2010 in the long board division and competed with the best of the world in this year’s competition in Peru.

Cristian is not just a great surfer but a great instructor and coach. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge with new surfers and helping them improve their skills. He is very patient and pushes his students to get to the next level of surfing. He’s great with teaching all ages of surf students. We are honored to have such a premier surfer as one of our instructors and hope you take advantage of his expertise. On a personal note, Cristian is a proud papa of an energetic 2 year old named Isaias and can’t wait for the day he surfs with his son. Pura Vida!!

Tinis Gomar - San Jose, Costa Rica
- Age: 25
- ISA Certified Surf Coach

I started surfing 4 years ago after boogie boarding for 6 years prior. Once I stood up on the board I was stoked on surfing. I love to teach surfing because it makes people smile. I especially love to teach kids because they have so much energy and spirit and I adore to see them have fun.

I am a person that has a lot of patience and good teaching skills to share. It feels great after I teach people their first lesson and then they want to surf more and take more lessons. That’s when I know that I have done a really good job.

Please come to Coconut Harry’s and book a lesson. I promise you will have a great time. Pura Vida!!

Luis Diego Zuniga “ Luigi” - San Jose, Costa Rica
- Age: 25
- ISA Certified Surf Coach
- CPR Certified

When I was 15, I started surfing with my oldest brother on the weekends. We went surfing every sunday to the central pacific coast. I love to surf and teach other people to surf.

I have been teaching surfing for almost 4 years now, and what I like the most is seeing people getting stoked and happy to be surfing in Costa Rica! Also, I love working in the ocean with people that just wanna have fun!

I’m a good teacher because I´m a very patient person and I have good communication skills to teach many different techniques of surfing. I can teach all ages and levels of surfing and I always teach with a smile on my face!! I can’t wait to teach you to surf herein beautiful Costa Rica. Pura Vida!!