Surfing in Baja began in the mid 1940’s when vacationing surfers ventured south of the border looking for quality waves. Since then, surfers have been returning year after year, and season after season, with countless stories of perfect peeling right-hand point breaks, barreling beach breaks and freak, big wave surf spots.
Baja can be divided into two major surf regions: Northern Baja and Southern Baja. Northern Baja is much colder than Southern Baja. There is good surf year-round in Northern Baja, but it really fires during the winter months from large northwest groundswells. It’s not uncommon to need full suits, booties and a hood while surfing in Northern Baja.
Cabo San Lucas was once a warm water getaway for California surfers looking to escape the cold. Today, Cabo San Lucas is a colorful vacation town that boasts 5-star resorts just steps from the world-class surf. However, with high-priced oceanfront resorts come overcrowded lineups. It’s still an amazing place to visit and surf, but if you’re looking to escape the crowds and the scene, then you’d better look elsewhere.
Northern Baja remains relatively unchanged, as a place where traveling surfers can find perfect waves without the crowds. Some coastal developments and vacation residences have sprouted up in the larger towns of Ensenada and San Quintin. These towns are a good jumping-off point for surfing and exploring the wave-rich surrounding area.
Punta Baja is a hard-to-get-to surf spot that offers an excellent right point break and no crowds. Punta Baja like most Mexico surf spots gets pretty windy in the afternoon and there are little to no accomodations nearby. The beach is a little rocky and the break itself offers rock and sand bottoms. On a good west or southwest swell, mostly summertime Punta Baja is a great and racy right break. Location: Hard to find, bring someone thats knows the area.
Photo by: Eliot Jones
Photo by: David Stone
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