The World Surf League will return to Costa Rica this August with the Garabito Surf City PRO 2026, bringing an official professional surf event back to the country after a nearly eight-year absence.
The competition will take place from August 13 to 16 in Playa Hermosa, Garabito, and will feature both men’s and women’s QS 2000 events. The Qualifying Series is part of the WSL’s pathway for surfers seeking ranking points and a route toward higher-level international competition.
The event is expected to draw rising professional surfers to one of Costa Rica’s best-known surf beaches, giving the Central Pacific another major sports tourism showcase during the country’s green season. Costa Rica last hosted a WSL event from October 4 to 7, 2018, when the Essential Costa Rica Surf Pro was held in Jacó, also in Garabito. That QS 1500 event was won by Costa Rican surfer Carlos “Cali” Muñoz and Germany’s Rachel Presti.
Organizers say the Garabito Surf City PRO 2026 will carry a $25,000 prize purse and offer ranking points for competitors in the men’s and women’s divisions. For Playa Hermosa, the event adds another international credential to a beach already central to Costa Rica’s surf identity. The area was named a World Surfing Reserve by Save The Waves Coalition, becoming the first site in Central America to receive that designation. The recognition highlights the beach’s wave quality, surf culture, biodiversity and community-backed conservation efforts.
Playa Hermosa has long been known for powerful beach breaks and consistent swell, making it a regular training ground for Costa Rican surfers and an important stop for international visitors. Its proximity to Jacó also gives the event access to hotels, restaurants, transportation and other tourism services in one of the country’s busiest coastal corridors.
The Costa Rican Tourism Board has described surfing as one of the activities that motivates foreign travel to the country. According to figures cited by the institution, more than 2.6 million tourists enter Costa Rica annually by air, and about 17% surf during visits to beaches on the Pacific or Caribbean coasts.
For Garabito, the WSL return is also an economic play. Local officials have promoted major surf events as a way to attract visitors outside peak travel periods and support businesses tied to lodging, food, transportation and retail.
The event also arrives as Costa Rica faces stronger regional competition for tourism. Surf-focused destinations in Central America, especially El Salvador, have invested heavily in international surf events as part of their tourism branding. Bringing the WSL back to Costa Rica gives the country a chance to reinforce its place as one of the region’s original surf destinations.
The Garabito Surf City PRO 2026 will be held August 13–16 at Playa Hermosa, with men’s and women’s QS 2000 competition scheduled as part of the World Surf League’s Qualifying Series calendar.
