Last summer I took a trip to El Salvador with my daughter Rosey. We had a great time and scored super good waves. El Sal on a budget: The cool thing about el sal is the beach is really close to the airport, transfers are cheap and they have a good bus system once your at the coast. You don’t have to rent a car. Stay at Sunzal is an idea, there are many cheap doable hostels, check air bnb, it’s loaded with cheap Sunzal options. The Sunzal area is loaded with tourists from all over the world. You can hitch rides or take the bus to the other spots like Punta Roca and Zonte. I rented a board from Awayco in Zonte. I got a Kelly Slater Sci Fi 6’0 by TOMO, it was an awesome board at about 25$ a day. So you don’t have to lug a board and pay airline board fees. Surf mid morning after the Brazilians go to brekky. I took a insulated 32oz canteen, it’s hot there, you need lots of water. Also protein bars. It’s not like there are any McDonalds, food is available but not like Costa Rica… So it’s a cheap, easy trip if your dying for some real waves. The pics below are per request of our favorite spot there El Zonte. This wave had everything. Thanks Rosey for the shots…
Michelle was our host in El Sal. She had a ministry in the area and surfed the rest of the time.
Tab was killing this wave at El Zonte… Tab lived downstairs from Michelle and moved from El Sal to Manasota after this.
Tab shredding the gnar.
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2, take some sun screen.
float
Weekend Surf? This is Cassia late Saturday surfing the west side of Rincon down near the Subway/Puma Station in Stella. The Caribbean has had at times even elevated winds near PR. SE seas got almost to 6ft at 7seconds. The result in Rincon is a tiny south swell coming up along the west side of the island. Noone is surfing it save for us I think, not like real waves but I caught a couple little zipper lefts that were surprisingly fun on a longboard. The wave above came from the Caribbean, from the south. There is a shallow flat sand stone reef here that makes the little swells slab. The elevated trade winds accelerate SW of here towards Jamaica and the seas really start to bang on their way to Bocas del Toro, which is in the middle of mini season. So this tiny wave is kind of in the same fetch as BDT, crazy. We may get more of this this Friday and it could get bigger and better. This is right down the mountain from my house. I have no desire or car to drive to 3hrs SE PR so we will enjoy what we have here in town. Isabela is close to flat…
How do you rate the 1st torugh swell of summer 2019?
I think it was super fun- chunky at a couple times.
Sand bars are great and no red tide, stoked!
Ericito we need more surf stories from California!
the peak of it was really fun, about as good as any swell. the other days had a few fun waves but much smaller and weaker.
Heading home boy today! Started the trip camping in Yosemite, sequoia, and Big Sur! Surfed pfeiffer purple sand beach pretty much novelty knee high haha. Then we headed south and I got rib high loooong Rincon with one other dude it was magical! Stayed at Malibu for two days and surfed first point which also was INSANE!!!! Then we headed south and camped at lowers and I got Over head lowers for a couple days it was awesome! Capped the trip with surfing with some buddies from St. Pete at Newport point and body surfing the wedge! I could write pages of my experiences but it was insane and beautiful! I rode a 5’6 cannibal hybrid short board with two giant twin fins haha. Not really meant for the board but it worked great!
Just got out here to work and the first thing I noticed when I got out of the car was the wind. It’s honking … not sure if it’s due to a few offshore storms, but it’s enough where if it blew long enough, there’d be something. Might be worth a check someplace later if it keeps blowing.
thanks man! we’ll check later for sure…
Ericito, I’m super jealous! Sounds like you had a blast! I’m planning a similar camping trip to Cali & Colorado in July. It will be my first trip to the Pacific so I’m stoked and nervous but I know I’ll have fun. Going to try some river surfing too
I took the paddleboard out in New Pass inlet yesterday and hooked into a lot of mackerel & big jacks. There was definitely a lil south swell in the water making some micro dreamers line up on the inside of the inlet but super sketch of course. After some family obligations I will be on the hunt later today hoping to score on the log. Tomorrow looking like some potential as well so I’m stoked! Hope you guys & gals score!
No dice for me last night, gromable but weak and no snook on the rod. This am it’s working at my usual spot knee high and light wind atm.
Maybe I’m just facing a new onset of pessimism, but it really seems like the pinellas beaches have not been working the same as they have in the past on these smaller swell events.
It’s blowing harder today than it was yesterday at this time. There’s def a bump out back. Not quite rideable yet, but it will be later if this wind keeps blowing.
Last night around 4 purple house area had a better than it looks little micro nug. About half a dozen or more that were actually fun. Better to get wet before total flat everywhere.
thanks man! always stoked to hear from the dolphin
Scored down here wed am. 8am-11 it was knee plus loggable on inside/high tide. Benny from the Compound showed up around 9am with 30 groms (surf camp). Stoked that they had some perfect lil lines for the kids. I’m checking the cams and buoys now wondering if there’s a lil something to slide on this afternoon.
Surfed like waist high twin piers from 2-5 ! Waves were fun and nuggin! Had some oomph for being small. Was down on my farm and made a run for it, even the kiddo was stoked to surf!
Stoked, looks like I will score a typhoon swell in southern Taiwan next week. Hoping one of the river mouth setups is firing
please send pics info@aurasurf.com
Thinking about going to Puerto Rico in early to mid august with the fam,Is this a good time for waves or winter be better.I know they get hurricane swell in august sometimes but always a threat of destruction.
Rich, August has not been very good the last couple years and typically is not a “wave filled month” the 1st hurricane swell year averages labor day weekend in September so August is usually pretty small… plane tix are cheap and it’s not crowded. 2 spots for waves in august are Isabela and Patillas… Winter is always better. Let me know if you need any more info but August is usually waist to chest high wind swell in those 2 areas I mentioned. info@aurasurf.com
Admin can you post some more pics of Zonte? I took a trip down there last year and surfed Roca, K59 and Sunzal but never got to Zonte. The surfline camp doesn’t really do it any justice. Just wondering how it compares to the other local breaks.
The easiest solo trip I have ever been on. $50 airport transfers with lovely people all around, if you wanna make friends take a fishing pole.
for sure man… and I agree the cam makes it look like a boring wave but I found it’s step down sections and bowls super engaging
give me a bit the pics of zonte are on another computer
Admin, thanks for sharing the images. Looks like a great time you were able to share with your daughter and fun waves. I never would have known based on the cam.
I pray that one day I can share the same experience with my little one, she’s only 7 weeks so we got ourselves a few years to go before that. Thanks again