The Baja peninsula is a thousand miles of sun, sand and surf that starts at the San Diego border and doesn’t stop until it hits the tip at Los Cabos where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Baja California Sur, the lower half of the peninsula, is home to some of the best surf breaks anywhere. For advanced surfers there is Scorpion Bay, Isla Natividad, and San Pedrito, and for beginners there is Nine Palms, Conejo and Los Cerritos.
In all locations there are empty beaches and quality waves, accompanied by cool cervezas and tasty tacos for apres surf. Come at the right season and you can see whales offshore as they head towards their breeding grounds in the lagoons of Baja. In addition to surfing there is plenty of other adventure to be had in Baja including hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, horseback riding, and bird watching.
Mexicans call Baja California Sur the Last Frontier and it really is – a great place to enjoy pristine, unspoiled, undeveloped beaches, mountains and surf.
Season: May to October
Risks: Sharks, Cops, Strandings , Montezuma’s revenge, Bandits
Rewards: Glassy barrels, Cervezas, Campfire chilling, Empty waves
BREAKS INCLUDE:
Baja Malibu Barrelling beachy 15 miles south of the border. Quite heavy. Works all year. Mid to low tide.
Calafia Six miles south of Rosarito Beach on Old Highway 1. A righthand point with sharp rocks. To reserve a room with a view of the waves at the Calafia Resort for $55 per night, call 011-52-661-612-1581.
Salsipuedes Righthand pointbreak and reef. Easy camping for $5 a night. The point needs six to eight feet to work. 51 miles south of the border on the toll road, take the Salsipuedes exit and bump down the track to the beach (take care if it’s been raining).
San Miguel Crowded righthand pointbreak, one of the best waves in Baja. $10 for a beachside pitch or van hookup, call 011-52-646-174-7948. Eight miles north of Ensenada.
Punta San Jose A series of reefbreaks that becomes one sweeping right when a swell fires. Best on a south or a huge west swell, when the prevailing wind is offshore. Twenty-nine miles south of Ensenada, turn west onto a dirt road at the town of Santo Tomas. Fourteen miles from Santo Tomas, bear right at a fork in the road and drive 10 miles to a lighthouse. $5 to camp.
Check out:
In Search Of Captain Zero — Allan Weisbecker. The classic Mex adventure story.
