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With more concentrated diversity than any other place on earth, Central America starts with the Caribbean’s white sand beaches and underwater worlds of coral reefs, to little local villages that look as though you have travelled back in time with cobblestone streets and 16^th century buildings. There are rainforests & jungles; massive gorges & crocodile infested rivers; Pyramids and ancient ruins dating back thousands of years; and many different amazing cultures. The 8 countries that make up Central America - Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico are a colourful and exotic destination with many opportunities to find surf.

Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua play host to a multitude of fantastic set-ups spanning both the Pacific and Caribbean. The Pacific coast is popular for its classic beach breaks, long points, and fast breaking hollow waves which generally work all year round.

Mexico

'South of the Border' to the United States and stretching down to Belize and Guatemala is Mexico. Apart from being the largest Spanish speaking country in the world it also has over 6000 miles of coastline to be explored.

Mexico has so many sights & contrasts, such as northern Mexico with extreme weather, desert, and mountain ranges; through to central Mexico with Mayan ruins, historical towns, and picturesque villages full of colour and culture. To enjoy some of the most popular white sand beaches in the world then you should stop by the Yucatan Peninsular which is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and is popular with divers as it has the second largest coral barrier reef at its shores.  The Pacific Coast is dotted with some of the best beaches and you’ll find awesome surf spots all up the coast from the south near the Guatemala right up to Baha California – the little strip of land that leads up to the US border.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is generally a safer destination than some of its other Central American neighbours.  Costa Rica is also a brilliant surfing location as it has two coastlines, the Caribbean and the North Pacific, which both produce consistent head-high surf all year round. The Caribbean side has a short surfing season but produces large swells from tropical storms off Mexico. The Pacific coast has smaller but generally more consistent surf generated by low pressure systems located off New Zealand.

Tamarindo is one of the best surf destinations in Costa Rica as there are a wide variety of surf breaks within a short distance.

Playa Avellanes/Negra is best for those looking to travel to a remote location.

Nosara receives consistent swells, good wind conditions and is particularly liked by longboarders.

Mal Pais is ideal for surfers looking for a quiet holiday as there is not much nightlife in this area, but good, consistent waves and a friendly atmosphere.

Playa Hermosa/Jaco is best for the more experienced surfer.

El Salvador

El Salvador is a natural footers paradise due to the number of right hand point breaks, some of which are world-class rights that break for several hundred metres. Crowds here are non-existent away from the main towns and cities and there is huge potential to discover spots that have never been surfed before. The rainy season between March to October is the main swell season and the south swells during this time can get up to 10ft.

Panama

Panama is a natural bridge between North and South America and the Panama Canal joins the worlds two largest oceans. As well as great waves, Panama has huge expanses of tropical rainforest, and is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. Although slightly less exposed to the North Pacific Swells than Costa Rica it gets the west and south swells that are generated from the Roaring 40's and hurricane swells.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is the Caribbean's version of the North Shore of Hawaii. It is blessed with good surfing conditions all year and can get pretty big and powerful. Northerly swells that are generated from the east coast of America are the main source of the waves in Puerto Rico, October to February being the main surfing season. The surf can be anything from 2ft to 20ft, and there are waves to suit all abilities.

Nicaragua

There is literally 1000’s of kilometers of coastline around Central America. It doesn’t matter whether you are just starting out in a Costa Rican surf school or for those a little more advanced check out El Salvador, Panama and Puerto Rico which has been dubbed the Caribbean’s equivalent of Hawaii.

Mexico

Mexico boasts over 6000 miles of coastline. Waves are generated all year round by the deep Southern Ocean low pressure systems and more localised tropical storms, with June to October being hurricane season. A great place for a surf trip is the southern tip of Baja California - the place is a swell magnet and remains uncrowded. There is a large variety of waves to suit everyone there - from beginner to the most experienced surfer. Other favourite spots to check out are Puerto Escondido - one of the best beach breaks in the world - and the many other waves around the Oaxaca region in the south.

• Puerto Escondido - Crank up the Marley and cruise to the beach. Puerto is just right for chillin' at a no-frills tourist town that refused to go 'resort.'
• Sayulita, Nayarit - Good waves, a large surf community, and frequent surf contests, catch the north swell December through early April.
• Pascuales, Colima - Huge beach break - very powerful - for experienced surfers only.
• Mazatlan, Sinaloa - Excellent conditions year round from beginner to expert. Check out Playa Bruja, Playa Olas Altas, Cerritos Beach, Cagadazo Beach, and Playa Los Pinos.
• Todos Santos, Baja California Sur - Good surf spots between Los Cabos and Todos Santos
• Ensenada, Baja California - good surfing in Santo Tomas north of town. Camping available. Best time is autumn and winter - take a wetsuit.
• Huatulco, Oaxaca - La Bocana beach, Barra de la Cruz, 20 km east is great. Summer and autumn are the best.
• Punta de Mita, Nayarit - Good waves off the beach near the end of the point in Banderas Bay
• San Pancho, Nayarit - Small waves here, better in Sayulita (10 minutes by car). A good place to stay is Costa Azul. They have daily minivan trips to surrounding surf areas.
• Los Cabos, Baja California Sur - Surf spots mainly outside the resort, on the Pacific near Todos Santos for example
• San Blas, Nayarit - Las Islitas was once famous for the longest wave in the world - now a good jetty and shore break at Borrego Beach. Best surf is in the summer. Surfers hang out at Pompis Ramada on Borrego.

Costa Rica

Probably the most famous surf beacah in Costa Rica is Playa Jaco. Costa Rica surfers also head to Playa Dominical and Playa Hermosa nearby. Farther north, Playa Grande near Tamarindo is another  popular Costa Rica surf spot.

• Witches Rock - 2 mile stretch of beach with hollow sand bottom beach breaks creating long lefts and rights. Take off can be steep, but offshores generally keep the wave open and easy to surf.
• Ollies Point - Right point at the rivermouth with fast, long, hollow and powerful waves that roll on the beach endlessly breaking over a rocky bottom. For the experienced surfer. Needs a strong swell from the southwest or northwest to break.
• Playa Tamarindo - There are a variety of good surf spots in Tamarindo Bay. The Tamarindo Rivermouth is a solid right hand wave. Other quality local waves in the area are Pico Pequeno – mellow reef break; Old Man’s – good longboard wave; and Playa Langosta – fun outside reef and inside beach break.
• Playa Grande - Exposed, powerful beach breaks just north of Tamarindo with steep hollow faces that tube in some sections. Very playful waves, good for high-performance surfing.
• Rivermouth - Solid right beachbreak with hollow waves as they hit the inside reef
• Playa Avellanes - A series of rights and lefts from a rivermouth offering a series of peaks including reefs and beach breaks. The northern end of the rivermouth boasts an outside reef break, "Little Hawaii," which works best on a west or northwest swell and is ideal for longboarders.
• Playa Negra - 12 kilometers south of Tamarindo offering a reef right break that is fast & hollow at low tide and picks up swell from many directions.  Good for all ability levels.
  
• Junquillal - A beach break and a left reef break that work better on higher tides. There are many peaks with hollow, fast rights and lefts. On a large enough swell, check out Playa Blanca directly in front of the Iguana Azul which can offer double overhead lefts.
• Playa Marbella - Located between Junquillal and Ostional, this is one of the area's most consistent breaks offering excellent conditions.
• Playa Nosara - Great beach break with peaks and shallow reef that barrels with a large south or southwest swell.
• Playa Guiones - A beach break with a left point that works better at high tides. This area offers some of the most consistent year round surf ranging from head high to double overhead.
• Playa Camaronal - Nice beach break, very consistent and generally gets surf year round.
• Playa Santa Teresa - Good lefts and rights at this hollow beach break. Tends to pick up more swell than nearby breaks and holds shape better at low tide.
• Playa Jaco - Long beach with left and right breaks. This area is smaller than Hermosa and a good option for beginners.
  
• Roca Loca - a right which breaks in deep water over a reef. It is one of the heaviest spots on the coast offering long, clean rights.
• Playa Hermosa - Long stretch of beach offering some of the most consistent conditions on the Pacific Coast. A variety of sandbars have formed creating a pounding and tubular beachbreak.

El Salvador

There are two separate surf areas on El Salvador’s Pacific coast. The La Libertad is the most popular area and offers numerous quality breaks. Punta Roca and Suznal in La Libertad are two of the best breaks in the country. But Punta Roca has a somewhat of a bad reputation, so talk to other travelers to stay out of trouble. The beaches around La Libertad have an awesome selection of right hand breaks.

The second area, the 'Wild East', also has some world-class breaks and is slowly growing in popularity as the quality of accommodations improves.

• Sunzal - Ranging in size from chest high to a few feet overhead, this right break is very consistent
• Punta Roca - This is the best wave in El Salvador. It is a word-class right that is hollow and can run for about 400m. The inside section, called La Paz, is separated from the big wave break and is ideal for beginners.
• Playa Conchalio - During the peak season the waves are fast and hollow, but a great place to check out in the off season as it holds rideable waves even when other breaks are flat.
• La Bocana - This is the best left break in El Salvador. It’s a long and powerful rivermouth break.
  
• Zonte - Consistent and fast right point break that sometimes also has two lefts.
• Las Flores - Flores is a quality right point break featuring a hollow outside section and long rides.
• Punta Mango - Powerful, fast, and hollow, can also get quite big.

Panama

Panama is not currently a well travelled destination for surfers, but for adventurous surfers there can be found superior surf breaks including Punta Brava on the Pacific coast, near Santa Catalina; and 'P Land' near Chiriqui.  There are also several reef breaks in the Bocas del Toro islands.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico gets good quality surf on all coasts during all seasons, but the most popular place for surf is the north and northwest coasts during winter swells. Aguadilla and Rincon are the two main surfing destinations on Puerto Rico’s northwest coast. Aguadilla is located at the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico and picks up the majority of north and northwest swell activity. On the western coast, Rincon's surf breaks are not as exposed as Aguadilla and it takes a bigger swell for Rincon to break, but when it does, it can produce some of the biggest, best waves in the Caribbean.

Nicaragua

Nicargaua has some of the best points, reef breaks and sandbars in Central America, It's best surf breaks are in the province of Rivas. They get the south swells from the Roaring 40's averaging 3-5ft and average about 330 days of offshore winds.

The most popular Nicaragua surfing beaches are those near San Juan del Sur, such as Playa Maderas and Playa Majagual. A bit farther north, Playa Gigante and Popoyo also offer decent breaks. Much further north is less travelled so you'll find less crowds.

Central America usually has two distinct seasons - wet and dry - however that one thing that is predictable about Central America is it unpredictability. In some areas you may experience up to four seasons within the day and then in others there’s a hurricane season and dry to the point of drought during the rest of the year.

Traditionally the wet season runs from June through until October, where some places may receive up to 300mm in one month, the dry season then runs from November through until May. Just remember that it is not uncommon to have 2 weeks of sunshine and blue sky during the wet season or flooding during the dry.

Less swell arrives during the dry season but offshore winds blow nearly every day.

Water temperatures rarely vary, hovering around 27-28°C.

Mexico

In Mexico there are two main seasons. Although there is some variation in temperature over the year, and throughout the different areas of Mexico; the most obvious difference is between rainy and dry seasons. The rainy season through most of Mexico falls roughly from May through September or October. During the rest of the year there is little or no rain. Don't be discouraged from visiting during rainy season, when you'll see lush, green landscapes, and it often only rains in the late afternoons and evenings. But June to November is also Hurricane season, so if you are travelling during this time make sure you know if you are heading to an area prone to hurricanes!

Costa Rica

The Northern Pacific Coast is generally considered the most consistent area from December to April. During these months, strong offshore winds combine with ideal swell directions to make breaks like Witches Rock, Playa Negra and Playa Grande perfect performers. The Central and Southern Pacific Coasts are generally best between May to November when the south swell season starts while the Caribbean Coast tends to get the best conditions from November to March.

El Salvador

There are 2 seasons in El Salvador for surfing. You have your dry season which is from November to April and you have your rainy season which is April through November.  For surfing in El Salvador the the rainy season will generally give you the larger waves while the dry season will give you a more consistent break. The best time to go is during the wet season between March and October, but you can also find smaller waves in the 3 - 6ft range in the dry season. Water and air temperatures are warm year round.

Panama

Expect hot and humid conditions year round in this lush tropical country.  December through April is dry season and is the best time for outer island surf missions.  For the majority of the country, May through November is rainy, but this is the best swell season for the Pacific side, although good waves can be found here year round. On the Caribbean side, the surf peaks twice. The main season on the east coast is during the regional wet season in the months between December and March, it then makes a resurgence when weather fronts clash in June and July.

Puerto Rico

The surf season in Puerto Rico stretches from late summer to early spring. Puerto Rico receives the majority of its swells during hurricane season as large storms move off the west coast of Africa, and during winter months as cold fronts and low-pressure systems move off the eastern seaboard of the United States, sending in long period groundswell to the north and northwest facing beaches.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua has a long surf season, from around March to November. The swell averages 3-5 ft with bigger swells of 6-8ft occuring regularly between April-October.