The third edition of the children of the impossible will be in action.

The Para Surf League Open of Adapted Surfing Costa Rica 2022 is the most extreme surfing competition in Costa Rica; where para surfers will challenge the sea of ​​Jaco Beach riding its waves, breaking paradigms and filling everyone on the beach this weekend with awe and motivation.

This prestigious tournament will take place on Saturday, November 19th and Sunday, November 20th on the Calle Bohío boulevard in front of the Hotel Balcón del Mar and the El Malecón Restaurant, the event venues.

The Costa Rican Adaptive Surfing Sports Association (ADESURFA) is the organizer of this important event which will feature the participation of current Costa Rican world champions Jimena Ruiz from Guiones beach and Roy Calderón from Artola, Guanacaste; as well as the multiple Chilean medalist Noemí Álvarez and the American parasurfing icon Dana Cummins.

“We are very excited to reactivate the international parasurfing competition in Costa Rica. The experience we had in 2019 was very positive. Training our athletes at home, promoting accessibility on the beaches, and fostering accessible tourism in our country are objectives we achieve with this type of competition. We hope that many national and international parasurfers will be encouraged to come, grow as athletes, and share the Pura Vida spirit,” said Natalia Vindas, president of ADESURFA and para-athlete on the national team.

The main sponsor is the AmpSurf Para Surf League, the same organization that sponsors the ISA World Parasurfing Championship where our national team will compete next December.

Another sponsor is Surf Sinergy, a high-performance surf center located in Jaco Beach. Additionally, local businesses are collaborating, and several companies are providing wellness products and services for athletes and staff during the event and awards ceremony.

This event will combine all 9 divisions according to the SFL/ISA classification where all surfers must surf in the style/manner dictated in the ISA Rules and Regulations for their division without exception.

The tournament kicks off this Saturday with a technical talk by Rodolfo Li, the experienced Head Judge of the Costa Rican Surfing Federation, followed by the open category heats. This time, the "Blind Challenge" will take place, where blind parasurfers will challenge Costa Rican surfing stars to a competition on equal terms. There will also be a Tag Team relay race and an "expression session" called "The Most Radical Surf," where parasurfers will be judged on their most extreme maneuver.

Saturday will conclude with a screening of the documentary "The Children of the Impossible" by Tip Films and the Hands with Hearts Foundation, which explores the emotions, thoughts, and experiences of the current Costa Rican parasurfing team, ranked fourth in the world. Sunday will close with the exciting semifinals and finals in a "man-to-man" format.

Great news for everyone involved: the sea and weather forecast is good, predicting waves up to 2.5 meters high and sunny skies. Furthermore, the municipality of Garabito, along with local businesses, has completely cleaned the beach, which is now ready to open for the 2022-2023 high season.

Credits: Adapted Surf Costa Rica