Costa Rica
Sustainable Tourism
Dates
June 2025
Location
Southern Costa Rica
Course
Sustainable Tourism
Price
$3350
Costa Rica, the ecotourism capital of the world, will be your classroom for this unique immersion program. Surf (or learn to surf) in some of the worlds most friendly and consistent waves while visiting organizations and entrepreneurs operating to forge sustainable solutions to the ecological and social challenges brought on by surf tourism growth. This program will blur the lines between learning and fun — as lectures, site visits, and adventure activities (such as zip-lining, waterfall hiking, and surfing) are all intertwined into a comprehensive learning excursion that promises to be the highlight of your academic career.
Day 1
- Arrive in Costa Rica
- Transportation to hotel in Nosara
- In-country orientation
- Welcome Dinner - Costa Rican Casado
Day 2
- Surf lesson with local instructors from Sufari Surf School
- Afternoon lecture
- Walking tour of Nosara town
Day 3
- Morning lecture & discussion
- Visit Surfing Nosara Foundation with guest speaker and service project with local youth
- Evening surf
- BBQ and Bonfire!
Day 4
- Morning surf
- Visit Barri Guiones coastal reforestation project with guest speaker
- Tree planting with native species
- Afternoon surf
- Evening lecture
- Group film showing and discussion
Day 5
- Sunrise surf session in Guiones
- Morning lecture
- Visit to Recycling Center with service project
- Evening discussion
Day 6
- Morning surf
- Optional zipline tour on the world's longest Zipline
- Evening lecture
- Dance night
Day 7
- Hike to waterfall(seasonal) or SUP river tour of the Rio Nosara
- Afternoon surf
- Evening lecture
- Group Dinner in Nosara
Day 8
- Morning lecture
- Mid morning Surf
- Visit sustainable surf resort with guest lecture
- Locally caught and prepared fish bbq
Day 9
- Transfer to Avellanas
- Stop at Ostional Turtle Refuge with guest speaker
- Stop at Playa Negra to surf and have lunch
- Check into hotel in Avellanas
Day 10
- Sunrise surf session
- Morning Lecture
- Mangrove tour
- Sunset at Lola's with dinner
- Film and discussion
Day 11
- AM surf with optional snorkling
- Beach lecture with guest talk from hotel owner
- Discussion with Avellanas locals about growth and development
- BBQ and Bonfire
12
- Free AM to explore town
- Afternoon visit to Tamarindo - Discussion about surf tourism growth
- Dinner in Tamarindo
- Return to Avellanas
13
- Free AM
- Group Presentations
- Wrap up lecture
- Group Dinner
Day 13
- Transport to Airport
- Depart for USA
Included
- Program Tuition
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Breakfast and most dinners
- Some lunches
- Course materials
- Local tours & excursions
Not Included
- Airfare
- Airline baggage fees
- International Travel Insurance
- Surfboard rentals
- Optional Zipline tour $75
- Some lunches, snacks and drinks
- Unit Registration
Brad Zaporski
Program Leader / Professor
Brads interest in being an educator started while working as a contracted guide to Medical Aid workers in Papua New Guinea. Brad filled his time there working with the International Education Agency teaching in tribes outside of the capitol city of Port Moresby. Subsequent to this, Brad spent a decade guiding on some of the world’s most powerful and remote rivers before settling in Telluride, Colorado. Those years as a professional river guide took Brad around the globe and ignited a desire to work with the existing forces of nature to develop clean renewable energy in his own community. It was this desire that set Brad on course to work with San Miguel Power Association, where he became the Chief Executive Officer in 2016. Brad is known for helping develop hydro-generation using existing dams and legacy infrastructure from the mining boom in the San Juan Mountains in the late 1800s. He was also the winner of the 2013 Best Solar Collaboration Project from Solar Power Generation USA for, at the time it was built, the development of the nation’s largest community solar project. Yet his attachment to water never waned and Brad sought a new goal and life lessons through the joy of surfing. Now combining his love for the ocean, decades of professional trip leading experience across 5 continents, and the spark he found as a tribal educator, Brad has found a perfect application for these passions with Sea State. His primary motivation comes from the opportunity to work with the amazing students that SeaState attracts. Brad finds the ocean and the communities that surround it to be a powerful classroom and is committed to applying his passion to the benefit of the students.
Course Objectives:
- Outline important historical events related to international tourism and understand the origins of the theoretical shift towards sustainable tourism.
- Build and appreciation for Costa Rican history and culture through reading and immersion.
- Determine how cultural differences influence tourist perceptions and satisfaction in the context of surf tourism.
- Strategize collaborations among diverse tourism stakeholders representing government, business, the local environment, and local communities.
- Demonstrate interest in living and traveling in ways that promote cultural understanding and environmental sustainability.
- Evaluate hotel performance based on sustainability criteria and implement their own analysis of tourism providers.
- Gain skills and become familiar with techniques for using theoretical frameworks to evaluate sustainability at the community level in the field.