Nayarit & Punta Mita capture swells from every direction with the exception of the deep south swells. Some are better on the southern eastern and others on the west and north west swells. Surf spots break year around.
The Cove & El Faro Location: Punta de Mita Point, southern most bay Quality: Guides say it’s the best break around. Access: Ponga from Punta de Mita, or 40 minute rocky walk. Tide: High, gets shallow on low tide Notes: Tourists competing for the ride of their trip. Go early. More: Exposed and not protected from wind, gets junky.
El Anclote Location: In front of condos Type: Longboard, right Quality: Good beginner break. Mellow pitch, slow, and long. Tide: Most, inside gets shallow. Be sure to find best path out.
La Lancha 1.5 miles south of El Anclote Type: Longboard, most rights, few lefts Quality: Good longboard wave Access: Ponga or 40 minute beach walk from Punta de Mita, Tide: Best on incoming tide, then outgoing tide. Shallow on low tide More: Goes when everything else is flat. Watch out for Coral heads, especially near the take off. Sayulita Location: 20 minute north of El Anclote type: Longboard, shortboard. Mostly rights Quality: Decent wave that goes without much swell. Tide: works on most any tide Notes: Crowded with locals and tourists More: Has become crowded and very busy. Punta Burros Location: 10 minutes south of El Anclote at Palladium Vallarta Resort Type: Longboard, shortboard Quality: Great, favorite break in the area Access: Stay at resort or park outside the resort gate on the left, near the taxis. Find path along the fence line to the left. Tide: High is best, but works on most anything
Los Veneros: Also known as Dinosaurs, this is a classic reef break with a long right that pitches when the wind is offshore (usually every morning). It is a great short board wave, but long boarders enjoy it too. The wave is very much like Malibu Point, only more hollow. gidget@puntamitasurf.com 818 879 7955-ask Trish
other breaks La Caleta: Near the village of Chacala is the left point... La Caleta. Long rides with perfect walls follow a drop and bottom turn. Costa Azul Adventure Resort comes here so when they come it can get crowded. Santa Cruz: 2 left points in one. A beautiful point where you park on the beach and paddle out to. Aticama: A left point just north of Santa Cruz. See it right from the road as you head North towards San Blas. Matenchen Bay: Could be the longest rideable wave in Mexico. An excellent long right point over a cobblestone and sand bottom. Rides of over a mile are possible on the right swell on a wave pitches and peels. Stoners: The outer point of Matenchen Bay offers a right point with hollow sections. This is a high quality wave. Lolas: An left point north of San Blas. A panga to a hollow left. No crowds.
Seasons: Winter season (November-March), and Summer season (April-October). Access: Punta Mita Surf is located within 1 hour of all of the areas best surf, all of it accessible by combination of overland transport as well as pangas and/or speedboat. The expeditions are led by keen local surf guides. The areas are UNCROWDED. This is due to several factors, the lack of any city or town based locals, and inaccessibility, many spots requiring boats and local knowledge to access. Winter season: Great conditions: light or offshore winds mostly, sunny, not too hot, around 76-82F air temps, water temps 75-78F. The best surf in winter is found around Punta de Mita and inside the Bay of Banderas on the sheltered reefs such as Los Veneros, Burros, La Lancha, and El Faro, W and NW swells create lined up perfection, ranging from slow peeling waves for 75-100yards on smaller swells to hollow & barreling waves Surf can be anywhere from 2ft-10ft+ depending on swell conditions. Recommended quiver is a longboard or fish, a thruster, and potentially a mini-gun. The fact is, theconditions can be often small and perfect, often medium and semi-juicy, and sometimes big and scary. On a big true W swell there are offshore reef breaks that can go 2-3 times overhead, about 5 of these swells on average each season. If you're lucky enough to get one of these, you'll have the waves of your life! Otherwise, count on generally fun waves. My last trip I rode a 10-0 on a 2 foot day at Lancha on 75 yd rights.One the best days I have ever had in Mexico). . Summer season generally commences in late April or May with the first true Southern Hemisphere swells of the year. These long period swells come in from a broad SW to S direction from 220-180 degrees, and generally last 3-4 days in duration, with 1-2 days of peak intensity. Average size on these swells is 3-5 ft with bigger days possible. During this season, you can expect somewhat more consistent surf than in the winter season with not quite as much fluctuation and unpredictability in swell height. The SW and S swells that occur from late April- October and sometimes into early November bring perfection to the lefthand breaks around Punta de Mita, Chacala (1 hr. north), and Santa Cruz (2 hrs. north). Starting at $95/night, gidget@puntamitasurf.com, 805 504 9675Trish
