how safe is costa rica?

Safety Issues
On Land
One of the reasons that Costa Rica continues to grow as one of the world's top surf destinations is because it is one of the few destinations where travelers can feel safe exploring almost any part of the country.
Costa Rica is proud to boast an extremely low rate of violence and most crimes reported are petty theft. Speaking of theft...theft in hotels is not really a problem in Costa Rica. Most problems arise when confident surfers wake up for a dawn patrol and take their rental car down to the peak...and decide that their Rolex, digital camera and wallet/passport will be safe on the dashboard! Just because you are on vacation, does not mean that you can leave your intelligence at home!
In The Water
Regarding water safety, the only real warning that we will give you is to be on the lookout for crocs as many of the breaks here are rivermouths and therefore, heavy rains can bring out a few more heads in the lineup. The majority of the breaks in Costa Rica are beach bottom, with the exception of Salsa Brava, therefore, you do not have to worry too much about late drop ins.