The final week of November welcomes the formal arrival of the dry season to Jaco Beach, one of the premier leisure and relaxation destinations of Costa Rica. According to a recent press conference held by the National Institute of Meteorology (Spanish initials: IMN), the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica is no longer transitioning out of the green (rainy) season, and residents of Jaco Beach should not expect rains or gray skies for the next few months.

Instead of torrential afternoon rains, residents of Jaco Beach and nearby coastal towns should expect crisp temperatures and windy conditions with gusts reaching 70 kilometers per hour. Swimmers and surfers should also expect very strong swells and rip currents coming ashore from Puntarenas to Puerto Caldera to Jaco and all the way south to Quepos. In fact, meteorologists and oceanographers warn that surf conditions may prove to be risky for those who are not strong swimmers or experienced surfers.

Oceanographers from the University of Costa Rica and from the IMN explained that they do not want scare tourists away from Jaco Beach; however, they mentioned the unfortunate weekend fate of a surfer in Caldera, who vanished among the waves a couple of days ago and has yet to be found by rescuers from the Red Cross. On the other hand, the Caribbean coast is enjoying calmer surf conditions most of the day, and only sporadic rain.

The dry season has taken hold over most of Costa Rica except in the Caribbean region, the southern mountainous rainforest of Talamanca, and parts of Tortuguero, where some rainfall can be still be expected. Around the Central Valley, rains are very sporadic at this time, and should completely disappear during the first week of December.