In true surfer style, Dominical is laid-back, relaxed, and all about the beach. The Pacific waves keep the faith year-round by producing nice consistent sets, so there’s definitely potential for that classic endless summer.
Named after an old banana plantation, the town seems to have retained some of that mellow-yellow mojo, despite ongoing development since the 1970s to accommodate tourism. It only takes about 15 minutes or so to stroll from one end of town to the other. It wasn’t so long ago that Dominical was just a few fishing huts anyway, but the steady visitation of dedicated wave riders-in-the-know gave locals the opportunity to feed and house them, resulting in the establishment of some worthy little surfer bars, restaurants, and cabinas, as well as a few luxury suites. Nontheless, it still feels like one of those cool secret spots you can pretend you discovered.
The reliability of the waves is owed to the beach’s natural geography. Bordering the beach to the north, the Barú River flows down from the mountains, bringing with it a lot of sediment (especially in the rainier months). This forms a couple of nice sand bars for the ocean to bounce off on either side of the river mouth. Whether it’s high tide or low tide, you can have some fun on a board. If the waves get a bit too full on at the main beach, the nearby Playa Dominicalito usually has smaller, softer waves. Even if you don’t care about surfing, you can appreciate the beauty of those green mountain ranges to the east, the tall palm trees growing right on the sand, and all the vivid colors in between.
At present, about 700 permanent residents call Dominical home, but the surrounding areas are much less populated, so wildlife reigns. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot some of the postcard beauties, like monkeys, parrots, toucans, iguanas and sloths. In close proximity to larger towns, national parks and attractions, Dominical has something for everybody. Even if you just want to kick back, Dominical is the place for you.