Costa Rica's Noe Mar McGonagle and Carlos Muñoz came up just short against surfing's biggest figures Wednesday at the Vans World Cup at Sunset Beach in Hawaii.
Jason Torres of Jacó won this past weekend's Billabong Fest in his home surf. With the win, he occupies No. 8 in the Association of Latin American Professional Surfers (ALAS) rankings.
The first-ever i20 Costa Rica surf championship in Esterillos Oeste was dominated by surprise winners in both the men's and women's fields as David Herrera and Nataly Bernold took home titles.
Noe Mar McGonagle ripped off an impressive 9.27 ride at the World Surf League's Allianz Billabong Pro Cascais on Wednesday to win his heat and advance to the second round of the tournament.
Playa Hermosa's waves are ideal for surfing, as highlighted by a growing young generation of surfers that have put Costa Rica on the map with a world championship.