The next surf trip is heading to: Mexico!
Why?
10 good reasons for a surf trip to Mexico:
- The food!!!
- The dreamy beaches
- Waves for everyone! For beginner babies, hardcore pros and those who want to become one
- The diverse, beautiful, adventurous nature: cenotes, volcanoes, jungle, lakes, rocky coasts, sandy bays…
- Margaritas
- Burritos, tacos, quesadillas, guacamole… the food in general
- The weather, especially if you want to extend summer in autumn or can’t wait for spring any longer
- The people and the country’s fascinating history
- Oh, and did I mention the food?
- And of course the many, many different, beautiful, varied surf spots for every level
Johanna’s surf trip to Mexico
From around mid/late October to early November, I spent two weeks travelling through Quintana Roo and Yucatán in Mexico. Yes, I know that doesn’t exactly sound like a surf trip – more like a party holiday. And admittedly, I spent a lot of time with nachos con queso in one hand and frozen margaritas in the other. But in between, I also got to hop on the board and glide over the turquoise water with a dreamy Caribbean backdrop. Sounds like a pretty good combination, right? Exactly! A surf trip to Mexico can be both. The beaches on Mexico’s east coast are especially great for beginners to work on their technique, pop-up and paddle power. And afterwards you can chill out in the many cafés, bars and beach clubs, or celebrate your progress with ice-cold drinks and cool beats.
My favourite little spot:
The Mexican Caribbean Kite Surf School!
Here you can learn to kite, SUP or surf with super friendly, always cheerful coaches.
Big bonus: the surf school is right next to the Raw Love Café and the Ahau Tulum Beach Hotel. When you’re done with your surf session, you can grab an amazing smoothie bowl and top-notch coffee at Raw Love. Or treat yourself to a beach day bed, an after-surf yoga lesson or a massage at Ahau.
Surf trip to Mexico for all party people:
Around Cancún and Tulum there are a few more spots for you to discover:
- Chac Mool Beach: The beach break right in front of Cancún is also very popular with experienced surfers. Still, the spot only gets a bit busier at weekends and can be surfed by every level.
- Dolphin Beach: Also known as Playa Delfines – definitely worth a visit. The spot scores with its backdrop alone, which it offers surfers and visitors alike. Fit intermediates and paddle pros are guaranteed to have fun. Beginners too, though more as spectators.
- Marlin Beach: A stunningly beautiful beach with easy breezy conditions for beginners. But when that breeze grows into strong winds, the experts take over.
- Playa Ballenas: Before heading to Whale Beach, check the forecast. This spot can be pretty moody. On calm days, beginners can practise their take-off undisturbed on one-metre waves – the beach is never really crowded. In nasty weather, though, the waves can quickly swell to three (or even five) metres.
Surf trip to Mexico for lower levels
Even more surf fun for beginners (like me) and improvers can be found here:
- San Agustinillo, Oaxaca
- Playa Carrizalillo, Oaxaca
- Troncones, Guerrero
- Sayulita, Nayarit
- Punta Mita, Nayarit
- San Blas, Nayarit
Before I get blamed for damaging the image of this wonderful surfer’s paradise, I have to make one thing clear: no, Mexico isn’t just for beginners!
So let’s hop (in our minds) over to the west coast, where wave worshippers from all over the world meet all year round to surf their way up and down the Pacific spots.
The hot spots for your pro surf trip to Mexico:
(and when I say hot, I mean on fire)
- Barra de la Cruz
- Cuyutlán, Colima, Mexico
- Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
- La Punta – Best beach for pros
- La Ticla, Michoacán, Mexico
- Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
- Pascuales, Colima
- Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
- Todos Santos, Baja California Sur
- Troncones, Guerrero, Mexico