The Ultimate Surf Coaching Retreat for Seasoned Surfers

This is a very pivotal time for a frothing surf rat, and yet there was nobody around to give us any advice on what we were doing right, and what we were doing wrong. For years we simply pushed onward, we persevered, and we eventually became decent little surfers making heats in local contests and getting free gear from the local companies.

Fast forward 30+ years, and I’m still that frothing young surf rat at heart—only with a slower, more patient approach—yet still without any sort of constructive guidance of any kind. I surf almost every day, and I feel that my skill hasn’t waned as much as I thought it would into my mid-40s.

I had felt this way for many years, until I spent a week with Rodrigo Machado in Costa Rica at his Power Surf Academy hosted by the Surf Synergy Resort. It was a humbling experience... in the best possible way.

The Surf Synergy Property

Located just outside the main drag in the quaint little beach town of Jaco, the Surf Synergy Resort is a hidden gem. You can barely see it from the main road, but once inside the gates, you immediately soak in this stunning garden oasis.

They pick you up right from the San Jose airport and chauffeur you straight to the resort. The privately owned operation is one that really you have to experience for yourself to understand how special this place is. They have eight luxurious guest rooms in their Casa Cielo Villa, as well as six private bungalows perched right in the hillside jungle.

Every single room in the house has breathtaking mountain-to-ocean panoramic views, and the infinity pool, dining room, shared common space, and tranquil seating areas are all only steps away from the rooms. The decor and design of the whole property is tasteful, modern, elegant, and ultra-comfortable.

Their week-long packages are all inclusive with programs for every type of guest: Surfing, SUP, yoga, massage, breath-work, thermal sauna recovery and even two cold plunges. They truly have it all onsite, and the friendly staff is some of the finest we’ve ever experienced on a surf trip. Their farm-to-table onsite cuisine is next level (three meals a day), they pull ingredients straight from their lush gardens, fruit and cacao trees, and even an organic honey farm. The food at Surf Synergy is exquisite, trust us.

The Power Surf Academy

While Surf Synergy does offer itineraries for all types of beginner surfer, Rodrigo’s Power Surf Academy is reserved only for intermediate/advanced surfers. If you’re looking for a mellow, lazy surf vacation, the Power Surf Academy is likely not for you. Rodrigo’s week-long itinerary is meticulously curated, and intended to turn good surfers into great surfers.

Rodrigo’s 25-year experience has lead him to develop a unique methodology that hits on four major pillars of good surfing: Physical, technical, tactical and psychological. He formulates daily plans that hit all four of these pillars throughout each day, challenging seasoned surfers to level-up their approach in all aspects of their surfing.

Each morning begins at dawn—Roosters crowing, delicious local coffee and tea is available in the kitchen, with a light spread of healthy snacks from the Surf Synergy chefs to kickstart your day.

The local surfers that Rodrigo and the Surf Synergy crew employ will address the group regarding the best spots for any given day based on winds, tides, swell, and everything in between. We spent our first few mornings at a playful stretch of beach break at Playa Hermosa. We stretched as a group on the sand, activating the major muscle groups to get our bodies in sync to perform at their best in the water.

The local surf guides will help you figure out the best spots to sit, and coach you through the lineup if you need—And these locals absolutely rip. Every single wave during the session is filmed from the beach for video analysis back at the property. Following each morning session is a full breakfast or brunch (depending on how long the group stays out). A full spread with offerings like fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, potatoes and fresh squeezed juices are all on offer throughout the week. This is followed by the video analysis of the morning session.

For midday activities, Rodrigo will run Power Surf yoga sessions that hyper-focus on muscle groups and range of motion exercises specific to surf-related movements. Depending on the area of focus each day, these sessions can be as much of a workout as the surfing itself, but the benefits were far greater than I’d ever imagined being a lifelong “non stretcher” before surfing. I felt loose, limber, and my shoulders and core felt more resilient than they’d ever been. After a couple of days of these stretch/yoga sessions, my body had acclimated and performed at a noticeably higher level in the water—As a 42- year-old guy, this felt really great. In the afternoons, the group will typically head out for surf session number two, depending on the conditions, followed by dinner and video analysis in the common area.

On alternate days, Rodrigo and the crew shuttle the group to a local skate park to work some surf skating into the regimen. This was one of the most helpful surf-related practices I’d ever taken part in. I started skating before I ever surfed, so I’m no stranger to pushing around the park, but this type of skating is unique. The boards pivot almost 180 degrees off the front truck, so when you lean into a turn, the board reacts dramatically—it’ll dig into the turn as deep or as shallow as you want to push it.

During these sessions, we broke down how the head/shoulder/elbow motion directly affects your hip/leg movements transferring all the way down to your feet in the wax. We worked diligently on these progressive movements for hours throughout the week, and for me, the result was a muscle memory in the water that I had never programmed before—It felt unreal. After analysis of my waves that morning, I was able to visualize where my technique was lacking, and then apply it on the skateboard with pretty awesome results—the board torqued in a way that I’d never felt before, and it felt good.

Back at the property, Rodrigo will run breath work training in the pool, and even meditation clinics with the Surf Synergy wellness crew. They have a full staff of friendly local surfers that are also licensed wellness professionals. Everything from massages, to meditation and sound baths, cold plunges, and sauna therapy, the friendly staff will guide you through the whole menu. These pre- and post-surf practices were something I’d never taken part in on a surf trip, and the way they made my middle-aged body feel each day was mind blowing.

At the end of the week, as exhausted, sunburned, and sore as I was, my headspace could not have been higher. It really was a refreshing experience to analyzing nothing but my surfing for a full week, and truly place my 30+ years experience in the ocean under a critical microscope. The word “humbling” doesn’t quite give the experience justice. However, I do know that the skills and knowledge that I left Costa Rica with will live with me until my very last wave. I can say that my next chapter of wave riding will be spent with much more sharpened intent, and thorough understanding of how extremely subtle body movements can change everything.

Putting this new technique to use in the water has been a serious game changer for my surfing back home. The Power Surf program identified problem areas in my approach that I never knew existed. Hidden in plain sight all these years, and then called out (and corrected) by Rodrigo.

If you feel like you’ve been a lifelong intermediate for decades, and really want to reevaluate your approach to riding waves, then this is the program you need to look into. Rodrigo deeply practices everything he preaches, and the results don’t lie. The hidden oasis surf training ground at Surf Synergy is the ultimate venue to better your surfing.

GIVEAWAY: Right now, Surf Synergy and Power Surf Academy are giving away a full week all-inclusive stay in Costa Rica to join Rodrigo and crew for FREE to one lucky reader. ENTER HERE.