Surfing: Good

Kitesurfing: ok in some places, horrible at others. The southern part of the country does not get as windy (except during storms) and you also have to deal with rocks… which you can avoid with surfing/paddling but there might pose a problem trying to kitesurf.

I surf and I kite surf… and I have gone on several surfing trips to Costa Rica… but I dunno… I would not kite surf there because I always felt I would face-plant myself into a giant rock formation sticking out of the water. If you were to kitesurf, go to the Nasara area or Tamarando, as there is more wind and less rocks then down south.

But yes, surfing is fun, prices are comparable to those in the USA unless you want to go really cheap– in which case you will stay in some major dumps without air conditioning. There is no college/young professional scene…. at least not on the coast. It still has third would status. Go to some of the north pacific breaks… they are mostly very small little towns and you will meet lots of very nice locals as well as tourists (mostly surfers) along your way.

Be careful and have fun.