Guanacaste, Costa Rica. November 25, 2013 – An instructor from the prestigious Witch’s Rock Surf Camp in Playa Tamarindo is the first professional surfer to win a tournament in the brand-new Guanacaste Surfing Circuit. As proudly reported by Witch’s Rock Surf Camp, Isaac Vega shone during the final heats of Day 2 under clear skies and less than moderate swells.

Issac Vega will now be mentioned in Costa Rica’s surfing history books as winning the first tournament of a circuit that was ignored for many years. As previously reported by the Costa Rica Star:

For the first time in the history of aquatic sports in Costa Rica, the gorgeous beaches of Guanacaste will host their very own surfing circuit. According to national newspaper La Nacion and Primero en Noticias, an online news daily based in Santa Cruz, the Costa Rica Surf Federation aims to drive even more tourism to Guanacaste through surfing and to give local athletes an opportunity to shine.

The proponents and organizers of the Guanacaste Surfing Circuit have made their intentions very clear: They want to turn this once “forgotten province” into the mecca of surfing in Costa Rica. Although the prime breaks of Costa Rica’s Pacific Gold Coast have been visited over the decades by world-savvy surfers, Guanacaste did not participate in the burgeoning pro surf circuits around the country.

The Costa Rica Surf for Youth Foundation is one of the main supporters of the new Guanacaste Surfing Circuit. Part of the foundation’s vision is to give young people in the province an opportunity to get involved and perhaps make a living from competitive surfing. Although Guanacaste has managed to attract tourism and real estate dollars over the last few years, unemployment is a major problem across the province.

Witch’s Rock Surf Camp sponsored two surfers, Isaac and Pako, who both made the most of what Tommy Bissell described as:

“a meek selection [of ]quality waves [even at high tide]. The final heats had a strong pool of talent that kept spectators attention to the action on the waves.”

The Guanacaste Surf Creatures Circuit will also make stops at Playa Avellanas, Marbella and Playa Negra. The seven tournament phases will wrap up on May 11th, 2014.