Pavones Surf Guide

Being located in a bay, Pavones also needs a large swell to turn on. When it does it usually breaks for 100-150m on cobblestones at low tide in the rivermouth. At high tide the La Esquina del Mar section starts breaking. Occasionally the wave connects up at high tide, breaking so close to shore that surfers don?t paddle back out, but instead walk back to the line-up. Rides of up to a kilometre are possible but you have to be quick to beat the longer sections. Insanely long lefts, sectioning down a sandy cobblestone point, close to shore. Being buried deep in a bay makes it incredibly inconsistent, as only big S-SW swells will penetrate the Golfo Dulce. Modern swell forecasting means plenty of surfers will be on hand when it does work and the expat crew are notorious for sewing up the best set waves and making it past the hollower rivermouth section all the way down to the cantina where the breakneck speed lets up a bit.

Main problem is the crowd and jelly-legs, which get little respite on the long walk back up the point. Roads wash out readily in the wet (read swell) season.