When it comes to surfing and Nicaragua, it's hard to contain the excitement. First the waves are excellent, easily as good as those in Costa Rica to the south or El Salvador (another emerging destination for surfers) to the south. Some would say better. In fact when CNN wrote about the break at Popoyo they classed it as one of the top waves worldwide!
Rights, lefts, hollow A-frame peaks, wide open faces, point breaks, reef breaks and beach breaks - you name it, you'll find it in Nicaragua. But the real secret is the offshore winds that blow over 300 days a year. They result from a unique micro-climate that's formed by the close proximity Lake Nicaragua has to the Pacific ocean in the south of the country. The winds sculpt the waves into perfect peaks that hold up well even in larger swells.
Nicaragua has waves year-round, but the peak season for surf is from March through October. Some of the breaks close to the town of San Juan del Sur, such as at Madera or Yankee, can have a dozen or so surfers at peak times, but most are completely empty. Just you and your surfboard.
Here are some notes on five of the spots for Nicaragua surf:
- Colorado has spitting barrels that work up to a 10 foot+ swell. You can surf consistent left and rights. Colorado pumps out fast hollow A-frame peaks barreling in both directions.
- Panga Drops holds up on double overhead and is consistently larger than other spots along the coast peeling in perfectly over the reef both right and left.
- Madera has a left and right beach break over sand. It's one of the closest waves to San Juan del Sur, the main tourism town on the Pacific coast.
- Yankee produces a nice beach break with a right in front of the rocks and a left further to the south.
- Popoyo is a hollow, long left hand reef break breaking over rock. A classic world class surf break.
But don't take our word for us. Pack your surfboard, and your camera and surf Nicaragua for yourself.
Southern Nicaragua is great and everything is written about the south, but we in Northern Nicaragua always have to take 2nd fiddle to everything south of Managua. I’ll take Leon over Granada and Las Penitas over San Juan del Sur any day. Check out and speak about Northern Nicaragua also por favor. See playaroca.com. We (Playa Roca Beach Hotel) are ON the beach and have surfers surfing in 7′ breaks only steps away on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Not touristie as in the south and much more accessable, with Leon only 20 minutes away and a $.50 bus ride to the front door of Playa Roca. Again, check out playaroca.com!