WaterSki Magazine

WATERSKI Magazine
2001-06-14 15:00:00 | 105 views | 1 Comments

Drawing from news clips of the past quarter-century, you'd probably associate Central America with assault rifles before making a link with an O'Brien G3 slalom ski. That ladder of nations at Mexico's tail hasn't exactly been a bastion of peace. But if you zoom in on the wedge of land between Nicaragua and Panama, you'll find a life of hammocks, banana trees and some of the best water skiing in the tropics. Central America's refuge is, without a doubt, Costa Rica.

Roughly the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica sits between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. A skier could spend a few fortnights dreaming about the west edge of the country where the Gulf of Nicoya dents the protective arms of lush mangroves and coffee plantations. Ramon Arizmendi, who organizes exotic water skiing vacations in Costa Rica, pulls visitors through the scenic surroundings and through a bumpless slalom course behind his MB Sports Boss 190 and Ski Ray.

“You can't appreciate what we have here until you experience it for a week,” says Arizmendi. “We're spoiled with perfect water for skiing, but there's so much more.”

Aside from the scheduled morning sets in the gulf and its channels, a water-skiing excursion to Costa Rica demands flexibility. The only common denominators are water and sports. You could be parasailing for a bird's-eye view of the nearby rain forests, taking a rocket-launching ride on a banana boat inflatable and buzzing around the turquoise water on a Kawasaki STS, all in a day. Boat tours to Pacific islands two hours off the Costa Rican shores are usually interrupted for impromptu open-water skiing between volcanic rises in the ocean.

“It's odd to be among islands, like you see in the movies,” says Arizmendi, “and there you are with a wakeboard, slalom skis, a barefoot boom, everything you'd have at a ski school in the States. But you're in the ocean.”

And you're nowhere near a Headline News crew.



Other attractions:

* Tours worthy of National Geographic cameras include iguana parks, coffee plantations and wildlife reserves.

* Some call the white-water rafting in Costa Rica “the world's greatest.”

* Scuba diving around uninhabited Pacific Islands.

Where to unpack:

* The Hotel Fiesta sits at the mouth of the Gulf of Nicoya and has four restaurants, three pools, a gym, tennis courts and casino.

Something you have to do:

* See about visiting the Arenal Volcano near San Carlos. It's one of the most active volcanoes in the world and puts all July 4th fireworks displays to shame.

Season:

* November through May.

How to get here:

* Airlines that fly to Costa Rica are American, Aero Costa Rica, Lacsa, Continental and United (direct flights from New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Dallas).

Don't forget:

* You'll need a passport or birth certificate. For more information about Costa Rica, call the tourism bureau at 800-343-6332.

Package:

* For $1,275 per person (excluding airfare) Ski Costa Rica offers seven days and seven nights of lodging and meals, daily ski sessions with instruction and five tours in Costa Rica and nearby islands. Phone or fax: 011-506-634-4056.