A talented young woman from Santa Teresa dreams of becoming a professional surfer and one day representing Costa Rica.

At just twelve years old but with an incomparable talent, Fabián Rosales, a local from Santa Teresa, is one of the #SuperGroms of Costa Rican surfing.

Fabián is incredibly enthusiastic and gets in the water every day he can to show off his skills. Despite his financial situation, this young man has very clear goals and a strong desire to improve his surfing, continue his studies, and become a representative of the sport in his country.

In this article, Fabián tells us more about his life and how he manages to surf.

Who is Fabián Rosales and how did you learn to surf?

I am a 12-year-old boy, I live in Santa Teresa and I learned by watching my friends surf, I got motivated and wanted to try it and here I am now giving it my all and we keep moving forward.

What do you think of the study?

I like to study because there are many friends at school and we can all share things, and studying is a good thing and will help me a lot in the future.

What do your parents think about surfing?

My mom always supports me in tournaments and is always there for me, and I'm very grateful to her, even though it's been hard for her to get me surfing gear like boards and accessories. Thank God there have been people who have helped me with that. But I'm proud of her; she's never given up.

Tell us about your typical days, how you get your boards, who takes you surfing, and who helps you train.

I usually sleep at Marcos Rojas's place, and after waking up, I have breakfast and go surfing. Then I train at his gym, and after eating something else, I try to improve my surfing by skateboarding. Although I really enjoy skateboarding, I use it to improve my surfing technique. I use boards from a local shaper named Kerrupt, and he's helped me from day one. I'm very grateful to him for the opportunity; they've helped me improve a lot.

How do you think people could help improve the lives of surfers from low-income backgrounds?

I think they could start by supporting local surfers, in my case here in Santa Teresa, where there's a lot of talent, but some of us don't have the necessary resources; supporting the surf industry, like surf shops and surf brands. Currently, my family lives off tourism and fishing, and the situation is very bad right now. People could support children so they can go surfing and help them with their studies to improve their education and be well-prepared.

What is your dream as a surfer?

My dream is surfing and I want to go very far as a professional and be in the world of surfing as a renowned athlete, representing Costa Rica and my town of Santa Teresa.

Do you have a favorite national or international surfer?

My idol from Costa Rica is Anthony Fillingim. He's helped me in tournaments and given me money to travel, plus he's helped me train and surf by giving me advice. Internationally, my favorite surfer is Gabriel Medina because he's very radical and has incredible maneuvers. My favorite is his backside 360 ​​aerial; it's really good and fun.

Besides those you've already mentioned , who would you like to thank for their support all this time?


I want to thank Bali de Sebas, Kerrupt, Selinas, Marco, Mateo and Aaron and send greetings to everyone at Surfing Republica and all the surfers in Costa Rica.

Fabián Rosales is one of the promising young surfers from Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. Guided and maintaining his current focus, he could become one of the future new faces of Costa Rican surfing, and that's why he's a representative of "Super Groms".

Written by: Enrique Hernández

General Director: Marco Montero.