Pistachio wrote:
Iwas planning to do some surfing in jaco this coming july. Didn't have the chance because I was only there for two days and it was my first time out in CR(jaco) after reading your article, I totally got turned off. I already placed a deposit for vista guapa where they provide shelter and surf tours in tamarindo. Is the whole pacific coast polluted with fecal matter. Any other beaches you can recommened that doesn't give you hep A as a present. If not. Ill just have to stay in copacabana and surf the pool/bar for chicas.
Or have they been cleaning/regulating the beaches since the last time you were there. Your response will be greatly appreciated.
I'm certainly no expert on these matters, but can tell you what I've heard and what I've surmised from it. I can't speak for the whole Pacific coast, but if I were trying to pick a cleaner alternative surfing location from Jaco, Tamarindo would not be it. There have been just as many reports about fecal problems existing there. OTOH, I will tell you what the local tourism industry has been saying and it does have at least some ring of credibility in it:
1) Those high pollution test results came during the rainy season when run-off greatly exacerbates any problem. SUPPOSEDLY subsequent tests taken during the dry season were much improved. Does that mean that other steps they have taken have reduced the problem or does that mean things will get worse again this summer. Unfortunately, you're talking about going in July, so this aspect does not really help you.
2) Those high pollution counts were taken from tests conducted in areas closest to those towns sewage/run-off streams. Presumably, the further away from those you get the more diffuse becomes the problem. How far you have to go and at what point those counts become acceptably safe enough is another question. This suggests to me that, no, the whole pacific coast isn't polluted with fecal matter or at least not in all areas enough to constitute a major health problem. Clearly, lots of people go surfing in CR without becoming dangerously ill. Personally, I wouldn't surf or swim at any of the beaches IN each of these towns but I think if you travel a little further outside each town to surf you should be safe enough. I don't know about Tamarindo, but I do know that the best local surfing in Jaco is at the beaches several kms away anyway.
3) After the huge wave of bad PR in Tamarindo, several hotels were shut down for inproper disposal of wastes and supposedly made to clean up their acts before they were allowed to reopen. Whether they really did do anything to fi their problems or whether someone wound up paying local officials to look the other way, I don't really know. Nor do I know if they really went after the largest and worst perpetrators (such as the Diria Resort) and probably the local municipality itself or whether they just made a token effort by going after a few of the smaller and less powerful private businesses in town. And now that it has been several months and the newspaper publicity has faded, I don't know if things have gone back to business as usual. But I do know that the local tourism officials and chambers of commerce at least claim to have taken steps to improve the situation since those disturbing reports first came out and that because of that things MIGHT not be QUITE as bad as they were at their peak.
4) I'm not sure what you can do to avoid the risk of acquiring intestinal parasites since swallowing a certain amount of seawater is really unavoidable when you surf and get knocked off your board. However, if you're really that worried about acquiring Hep A, the surest thing would simply be to get vaccinated. As a mongerer, it is prety advisable anyway (Hep B is actually more of a risk for us). I recommend you go for the Twin-rix which covers you for both Hep A & B. It takes 3 shots (the 1st now, the 2nd a month after that and the 3rd in 6 months). If you get it starting now, it should be fully effective by the time you go in July. Your county clinic will probably be much cheaper than your personal doctor. Mine charges $52/shot for the Twin-rix ($156 total). The 3 shot Hep B alone costs $35/shot ($105 total) and the 2 shot Hep A alone costs $29/shot ($58 total), so you see where you save a little money AND having to be stuck less often if you go for the combined Twin-rix. I believe these vaccines are supposed to be effective up to 10 years or longer. While you're at it you might also want to make sure your Tetanus and TDap vaccinations are up to date.
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BTW, for those of you who aren't familiar with "Enemy of the People", it is a play about a Norwegian doctor who discovered that waste products from his town's tannery were contaminating the town's newly created mineral baths, which were a major draw for tourists and income to the town. He found that the contamination was causing serious illness among the tourists. But when he went to the town's authorities to inform them about the problem and his proposed solution (which would come at a considerable cost to the town) he was suprised to find it difficult to get through to the anyone. They seemed unable to appreciate the seriousness of the issue and unwilling to publicly acknowledge and address the problem because it could mean financial ruin for the town. As a result, he was ostracized by everyone as as an "Enemy of the People".
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