The Mexican Pacific Surf Coast — every notable break, mapped
La Saladita Guide · Updated May 2026 · ~28 min read · 40+ named breaks across 9 regions
From Baja to Oaxaca, 4,500 km of the most varied and consistent surf coast in North America. The icons — Killers, Scorpion Bay, Zippers, Pascuales, Nexpa, Saladita, Zicatela, Barra de la Cruz, Punta Conejo — anchor the map. The hidden middle is where the trip becomes a pilgrimage.
Mexico's Pacific is not one coast — it is two coasts stitched together at Cabo Corrientes. North of the Tropic of Cancer, the cold California Current dominates: the desert peninsula of Baja runs nearly 1,300 km from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas, fronted on the western side by a continuous sequence of right-hand cobblestone points, reef breaks, and deepwater islands that catch the same NW groundswells that hit Southern California — only bigger and emptier. South of Cabo Corrientes, the water turns tropical and turquoise; the coastline bends east, opens its swell window to the Southern Hemisphere, and starts producing the warm-water barrels that have made Zicatela, Pascuales, and Nexpa part of global surf vocabulary.
The Mexican surf story begins in earnest in the early 1960s, when Mike Doyle, Phil Edwards, and the San Onofre crew began making serious trips south of Tijuana to a cobblestone right-point called San Miguel — "the first place where surfing began in Mexico," in the words of Eduardo Echegaray of the Baja California Surfing Association. By the mid-60s, the San Miguel Trailer Park was the clubhouse for Baja Surf Club Invitationals attended by Doyle, Miki Dora, Skip Frye, David Nuuhiwa, and Corky Carroll. By the time Andy Irons won the WSL Rip Curl Search at Barra de la Cruz in 2006, the modern Mexican surf map was essentially drawn.
This atlas takes that map seriously: not as a listicle but as a literary geography, region by region, north to south. Forty-plus named breaks. One coast.
A note on seasons — for longboardersThis atlas notes when each wave peaks in size, but the bigger season is not the better season. For longboard surfing in particular, the smaller, glassier off-peak months are often when these waves are at their absolute best — cleaner walls, more forgiving takeoffs, lighter crowds, slower wave faces that reward trim and style over speed and aggression. Most Mexican Pacific points break year-round. The "season" framing below describes when each wave gets biggest; the longboarder's window is usually wider than that, and often opposite. La Saladita, Nexpa, Chacahua, San Juanico — all are year-round breaks where the smaller months can be a longboarder's reference point.
Two seasons, two souls
From October through March, the Northern Hemisphere NW swell train lights up northern and central Baja — Killers, San Miguel, the Seven Sisters, San Pedrito, La Pastora — and produces clean winter waves at mainland points whose angle can catch a westerly wrap. From April through October, the Southern Hemisphere south swell train fires the rest of mainland Mexico — Nayarit, Michoacán, Guerrero, and especially Oaxaca, where Zicatela and Barra de la Cruz reach world-class size between May and August. Hurricane swells in August through October are the joker in the deck.
There is a spot for every skill level. Beginners belong at Cerritos (BCS), El Anclote / La Lancha (Nayarit), Sayulita, Carrizalillo, San Agustinillo, or Old Man's at Cabo. Intermediates graduate to Scorpion Bay, Saladita, Troncones, Chacahua, La Punta, Punta Conejo. Advanced and expert surfers earn Killers, San Pedrito, and La Pastora on winter swells; Pascuales, Nexpa, La Ticla, Barra de la Cruz, and Zicatela on a south.
I · Baja California Norte — the border coast
Where Mexican surfing was born. Cold California Current, 3/2 wetsuit most of the year, moody gray-green water, cobblestone rights that wake up on winter NW.
01Baja Malibu / K-38 / Calafia / La Fonda
Just south of Tijuana, kilometer markers replace town names. Baja Malibu (Km 35.5) is the heavy hitter — thick, tubular beach-break barrels best at low tide, head-high to double-overhead in winter NW. K-38 is the most recognizable spot in northern Baja, a cluster of breaks (The Point, Maria's, Theresa's) that handle nearly anything; the right at The Point can run over 200 yards on a good day. Calafia is rocky and shorter; La Fonda rewards campers. 45 min from San Diego border via the toll road. Park at Las Rocas Resort & Spa or the K-38 Surf Shop lot. Best on winter NW swell. Water 58-68°F. Beginner-friendly at Maria's; intermediate to advanced at The Point and Baja Malibu.
02San Miguel (Ensenada) — the birthplace
If Mexican surf culture has a literal home address, it is the cobblestone right at the mouth of Arroyo San Miguel, just north of Ensenada. A long, tapered right that Surfline compares to Rincon or Trestles — steep takeoff, growing wall, cobblestone bottom, doesn't close out. "The bigger it gets, the better it gets" (Surfline). Wind notoriously swings onshore by 11 AM; dawn patrol mandatory. In 2014, Bahía de Todos Santos was named the sixth World Surfing Reserve — Mexico's first. The 2011 Hodges "Surfonomics" study calculated the break generates $746k-$969k USD per year in tourist surfer spend at roughly $111/day per surfer. Best: W/WNW winter swell, E/ENE offshore. Peak January. Intermediate to advanced; booties recommended.
03Isla Todos Santos — Killers
Twelve nautical miles offshore from Ensenada, an underwater canyon focuses W-NW groundswells onto the NW tip of the north island. The result is Killers — discovered by La Jolla's Windansea club in the 1960s. Per Matt Warshaw's Encyclopedia of Surfing, "by the early 1980s, three breaks in Todos Santos had been charted, and empty 20-footers at the as-yet-unnamed Killers were featured in the 1983 surf movie Ocean Fever." A confirmed XXL big-wave proving ground: Brad Gerlach earned $68,000 for his December 21, 2005 wave (Billabong XXL, Biggest Wave 2006). Greg Long's first Billabong XXL trophy came at Todos Santos in 2005. Expert-only. 10'2"+ gun minimum. Boat-access only from Ensenada or La Bufadora.
04Salsipuedes / Stacks / Tres Emes
Three lesser-known points between Ensenada and the islands, all part of the 2014 World Surfing Reserve. Salsipuedes ("get out if you can") is a beautiful right point reached down a rough dirt road south of Ensenada; needs a sizeable winter swell. Stacks and Tres Emes (3M's) are more reef-y. Intermediate to advanced; booties.
05Punta San Carlos
275 miles south of San Diego on rough dirt roads off the Mex 1. The second-most-famous wind-and-wave spot in Baja after the Cabo East Cape. SoloSports Adventure Holidays has run the desert camp here for over 25 years — tented compound on carpeted tarmac with hot showers and the house cocktail (the "Baja Fog"). The Bombora, The Beachbreak, The Point, and the Chili Bowl. Mostly mushy right point but pitches hard when big. 4WD-only road from El Rosario, or fly direct into camp from Brown Field, San Diego. Best April-October.
06The Seven Sisters
A string of right-hand cobblestone points along Baja's most desolate central coast: Punta Cono, Punta María, El Cardón / Lobos, Punta Negra (Prieta), Rocosa, Santa Rosaliíta, and Punta Rosarito (The Wall). Cedros Island blocks south swells almost entirely, so these only fire on winter W-NW. Exploratory surfing — you bring water, gas, and food, you camp on cliffs, and you might score the cleanest right point of your life or get skunked entirely. December-March. 4WD essential; nearest fuel at Guerrero Negro.
07Isla Natividad — Open Doors
Reached only by panga or small plane. Open Doors is the wave — a hard-breaking sand-bottom A-frame that barrels both ways in southerly swells with relentless cross-offshore wind. Effectively no infrastructure; surfers rough-camp. Expert-only when on.
II · Baja California Sur — the long middle
08Punta Abreojos
"Point of Open Eyes" — named for the wind-blown spray "eyelashes" off the perfect barreling rights. A fishing co-op town with low crime, friendly locals, and almost no infrastructure (locals trade fresh fish for surf wax). The main point is a bowly right that peels 100+ yards on a good day; further south near the lighthouse is Razors — fast, hollow, fires only on big swells. May-October on S/SW swell, E-NE offshore. Intermediate to advanced. ~8 hours south of Rosarito; closest airport Loreto (LTO), 234 km.
09Scorpion Bay (San Juanico)
Four — or by local count, six or seven — stacked right-hand points peeling along a long crescent on Baja Sur's wild Pacific side. Mike Doyle described surfing here in the late '60s with "not a single car" and the "whole town sitting on cliff watching me surf." The points face south, in the lee of the prevailing NW wind. First Point is the easiest, mellow Malibu-style longboard wave. Second, Third, and Fourth Point get longer, faster, more demanding; on a big south swell the rides at Third can be over a minute long, with all points sometimes connecting in what is locally called "The Connection." May-October S-SW. All levels (First Point) to advanced (Fourth on a big day). Scorpion Bay Cantina & Campground (~$15-25 camping), Scorpion Bay Hotel ($80-160). 3-3.5 hours from Loreto (LTO).
10East Cape — Shipwrecks, Nine Palms, La Fortuna, Punta Perfecta
East of San José del Cabo, the corrugated dirt road of the Camino Cabo Este leads to a string of Sea of Cortez sand-bottom right points. Shipwrecks is the headliner — a fast, punchy right with a barreling section and a sometimes-rideable left, hidden between Puerto Los Cabos and Vinorama. Nine Palms, 20 minutes east, is a mellow longboard-friendly right with a tiny rancho of palm trees you can nap under. La Fortuna is sushi-bar friendly (Zai Sushi Surf Bar is a destination); Punta Perfecta, near Vinorama, is a steep peak that goes both ways and demands experience. May-October S/SW swell, N-NE morning offshores. Intermediate (Nine Palms) to advanced (Shipwrecks, Punta Perfecta). Vista Pacifico, El Colibri villa rental. Costa Palmas / Four Seasons resort 30 min north offers a "Surf Safari."
11Costa Azul — Old Man's (Acapulquito), The Rock, Zippers
Three breaks within walking distance on the same Tourist Corridor beach, all firing on summer south swells. Old Man's / Acapulquito is the longboarders' wave — soft, peeling, mushy right point ideal for beginners and intermediates, perfectly framed by Cabo Surf Hotel. The Rock sits east of Old Man's, faster, needs south swell. Zippers is the prize — a fast, river-mouth-fed right point that picks up speed down the line, hosts the annual Los Cabos Open of Surf, and gets territorial when crowded. The legendary Mike Doyle ran a surf school here from 2004 until his death; it operates now as Cabo Surf School. Cabo Surf Hotel ($350-700) directly on Acapulquito; Drift San Jose ($125-250); One&Only Palmilla ($800-3,500+).
12Monuments
Within sight of the resorts of Cabo San Lucas, a fast, urchin-shallow left point that funnels swell through the same deepwater canyon that gave Cabo its harbor. Long-interval W and SW swells get supercharged — Monuments can be double-overhead while Costa Azul is still head-high. Tight takeoff, dedicated local crew, urchins on the inside. Advanced/expert. Park at the Misiones Hotel road.
13Todos Santos / Pescadero — Cerritos, San Pedrito, La Pastora
Forty-five minutes north of Cabo. Cerritos (Km 64) is the most accessible — sand-bottom beach break with right and left peaks, surf school central, family-friendly. All levels. San Pedrito (Pescadero) is a more powerful reef/beach break with a rippable right point and barreling sections in winter NW. Sharp rocks; booties common. La Pastora, north of Todos Santos, is the heaviest — a hollow, rocky beach break, reaching triple overhead on the right winter swell. Hotel California ($180-300), Hotel San Cristóbal Baja (Bunkhouse Group, $350-650), Cerritos Surf Town Hotel ($180-350), Pescadero Surf Camp (from $15/night). Food: Hotel California, La Esquina, Jazamango (Javier Plascencia's veggie-forward farm restaurant).
III · Mazatlán, Sinaloa — the overlooked gem
Small lineups and an enchanting Centro Histórico to base from.
14Olas Altas, Bruja, Cerritos
Olas Altas — soft, foamy left off the headlands of Mazatlán's old town, framed by the Pedro Infante statue. Needs a big S-SW swell to come to life. Mostly a soft-top beginner's spot. Ten minutes north of the Golden Zone, Playa Bruja is generally agreed to be the best surf in Mazatlán: a reef-built A-frame with rights and lefts, slightly bigger and steeper. Susceptible to onshore wind by midday. Playa Cerritos stretches south of it — dumpy beach break shore-pound, best for beginners and longboarders early. Summer S/SW swell, E-NE offshore mornings. Hotel Belmar, Posada Freeman, Hotel Casa Lucila ($120-250).
15Rucos / Los Pinos / Camarón
Lesser-known Mazatlán points: Rucos (legendary among locals, a swell magnet north of town with sand bottom), Playa Los Pinos (consistent rights all year near downtown), and El Camarón (right point under Punto Valentino).
IV · Nayarit — the riviera of learning
The Bay of Banderas, anchored by Puerto Vallarta to the south and the Punta Mita peninsula to the north, has become Mexico's learn-to-surf capital. Punta Mita catches swell from north, west, and south, with at least seven distinct breaks circling the peninsula.
16Sayulita
The most forgiving wave in mainland Mexico, broken by sandbars on both sides of a central rocky outcrop. Also one of the most crowded — surf schools dominate the lineup, mainly because there is something to ride here 365 days a year. The town itself — bohemian, festooned with papel picado, full of taco stands and mezcal bars — is half the appeal. Hotelito Los Sueños ($126-200), Petit Hotel Hafa ($60-150), Villa Amor ($175-595 depending on season).
17San Pancho (San Francisco)
Seven km north of Sayulita. The older-sibling town — quieter, more residential, with one of the best plaza skateparks in Mexico. The beach break is bigger and more powerful than Sayulita's, particularly on summer south swells. Intermediate to advanced. Hotel Cielo Rojo ($103-160), Casa Obelisco B&B.
18La Lancha
Twenty-five minutes south of Sayulita on the Punta Mita peninsula. Reached by a 10-minute jungle walk through mangroves. A forgiving sandy-bottom right and left, intermediate-friendly but capable of size on summer south swells. The surf schools' standby trip.
19El Anclote
In the village of Corral del Risco at the tip of the peninsula. The easiest of the Punta Mita waves — long, slow, mellow longboard right point with restaurants and beachside palapas. Walking distance to lessons and gear rental. W Punta de Mita ($400-900+), Hotel Cinco ($300-700).
20Stinky's
Reef break in Punta de Mita village, east of the boat harbor. A river drains here (hence the name). Right-hand, mellow on small swells, capable on bigger south swells. Beginner/intermediate at low size.
21Punta Burros
Between the Palladium and Dreams resorts, Burros is the punchiest wave on the Punta Mita peninsula — a fast, wedgy reef right that can hold double-overhead on summer south. Sketchy takeoff over reef. Intermediate to advanced; one of the area's only true performance waves.
22El Faro / The Cove
Tucked at the western tip of the peninsula. Reachable by 40-minute walk or panga. Many local guides call it the best wave in Banderas Bay. Right-hand reef, advanced.
V · Jalisco & Colima — the black sand coast
23Boca de Pascuales
Colima's best wave and one of the heaviest beach breaks on Earth. Pascuales sits at the mouth of a river just outside Tecomán, with a deepwater canyon offshore that focuses swell from every direction; the result is a slabby black-sand A-frame that breaks in only a few feet of water and produces barrels surfers compare directly to Puerto Escondido — with about 5% of the crowd. Home break of Mexican pro Alan Cleland Jr. The wave snaps boards. Local crew and lifeguards have adapted Hawaiian jet-ski protocols. Hotel Real de Pascuales (rustic surf-camp, ~$25-50/night, restaurant on-site), Villas Pascuales (upgrade, ~$80-150). 1.5 hours from Manzanillo airport (ZLO). Advanced/expert.
24Cuyutlán / El Paraíso / Boca de Apiza
Smaller, mellower beach breaks within 15-45 min of Pascuales. Cuyutlán and El Paraíso are family beaches with rideable shoulders on small days. Boca de Apiza on the Colima-Michoacán border can produce A-frame barrels on a winter NW/W swell when Pascuales is too big — uncrowded, beautiful, a real explorer's spot.
VI · Michoacán — mainland Mexico's California of the past
Michoacán's coast was paved late and electricity arrived later. Some of the best, emptiest point breaks in North America.
25La Ticla
A small indigenous Nahua village at the mouth of the Ostula river. A strong left point/river-mouth wave breaking over rock and sand, with a separate cobblestone reef section. Year-round break — on overhead-plus summer south swells, it barrels for the shortboarders; in winter and shoulder seasons it's a long peeling left and arguably the best months of the year for longboarding (the wave's natural shape rewards trim style at smaller size). The community-owned Parador Turístico — cabañas, restaurant, campground around a Pacific-facing palapa — is the heart of the village. Beginner-friendly inside section through advanced point. Parador Turístico cabañas (~150 MXN / $30-60), camping (~50 MXN / $5-10).
26Faro de Bucerías & Hua Hua
Between La Ticla and Nexpa, the lighthouse village of Faro de Bucerías sits on a wide protected bay with snorkel-clear water and one of the few swimmable beaches on this coast — a perfect rest day. Hua Hua is an open bay with shifting sand bars, accessible by short walk; year-round break that works on nearly any swell, one of Michoacán's hidden gems for intermediate longboarders. The smaller, glassier months are when it's at its best.
27Río Nexpa (Barra de Nexpa)
The classic Michoacán left. A cobblestone point at the mouth of the Río Nexpa, in the tiny village of Barra de Nexpa just past the bridge at Km 55.5. Year-round break — fires on south and southwest swells and holds size up to triple overhead in summer, but the smaller, glassier winter and shoulder-season months are arguably when Nexpa is at its longboarding best: cleaner walls, more forgiving takeoffs, lighter crowds. On the outgoing tide with size, the inside section hollows out and barrels; on smaller days, the rights at the river mouth can be ridden alone. Years ago this was a secret spot whose unnamed photos appeared in surf magazines; today it has a clutch of surf cabañas, two or three restaurants, and a year-round expat population. Nexpa Cabañas Mar de Noche (from $52/night), Cabañas Martha ($50-100), Villa Tropical / Nexpa Surf Camp in nearby Caleta de Campos ($120-200/night with full board).
28Caleta de Campos
The closest "real" town to Nexpa (8 minutes' drive), a working fishing village on a protected bay with seafood palapas on the sand. No standout wave of its own, but as a base it's hard to beat — paved roads, ATMs.
29Petacalco (the ghost of)
Before the construction of the port of Lázaro Cárdenas and the upstream Infiernillo dam, Petacalco was one of the great mysto waves on Earth — an A-frame barrel at the mouth of the Río Balsas that Surfer's Journal archivist Pat Tobin recalled as "the best waves there ever were." Construction destroyed the sand supply; today the wave is a closed-out shadow of itself. Worth a stop for the history.
VII · Guerrero — Troncones, Saladita, and the Zihuatanejo coast
30La Saladita
Forty-five minutes north of Zihuatanejo. Mexico's longest, mellowest left-hand point break — a 200-to-500-meter logger's wave that has earned the moniker "longboarder's reference point." A small expat community, a single dirt road, a couple of restaurants on stilts over a river mouth, and a swell that fires year-round. South-swell summer months (May-October) bring the biggest waves; the smaller, glassier winter months are when Saladita's longboarding is at its absolute best — long, peeling, forgiving walls and uncrowded lineups. Marea's beachfront deck for the mezcal-passionfruit margaritas at 4-7 PM happy hour (the deck and the drinks are the draw, not the dinner menu) and Jovita y Pancho's hammock-strewn deck across the river are part of the daily rhythm. Beginner (inside reform) to advanced (point on a big day). Predominantly a longboarder's wave. Lourdes' palapas (~$50-100), Hotel Pacífico (~$80-140), La Chuparosa de Saladita villas ($150-300), Casa Esmeralda. 45-min drive from ZIH.
31Troncones (Manzanillo Bay) & The Ranch
Twenty minutes south of Saladita. The more developed sister town — a 2.5-mile beach with peaky year-round beach breaks and a punchy left point at the south end called Manzanillo Bay or Troncones Point. The Troncones beaches work all year, and like Saladita, the smaller winter and shoulder-season months are often when the longboarding is at its absolute best — slower walls, glassier mornings, lighter lineups. Manzanillo Bay is a demanding left that takes off near jagged reef — advanced. The Ranch, accessible by short drive or panga, is a year-round break with multiple peaks — picks up south swells in summer for hollow days, but is just as rewarding for longboarders in winter when the wave shape softens and the crowds thin. Beginner (beach breaks) to advanced (Manzanillo Point). Present Moment Retreat ($200-600+), The Inn at Manzanillo Bay ($250-500), Troncones Point Hostel.
VIII · Oaxaca — the heart of Mexican surfing
Oaxaca's south-facing coast is what most of the global surf world means when it says "Mexico." From the bohemian gravel of Mazunte to the WSL-tour right of Barra de la Cruz to the heaving barrels of Zicatela.
32Chacahua
Three hours north of Puerto Escondido by collectivo-and-boat. Inside a national park of mangroves, lagoons, crocodiles, and bioluminescent plankton. The main wave is a right-hand point/jetty break that holds size and can produce 200-meter rides on a big southwest swell, with a separate beach break across the lagoon. Year-round break — fires biggest on summer south swells but works through every month of the year, and the smaller winter months produce some of the cleanest longboard days on the entire Oaxacan coast. Works on all tides. Limited infrastructure — beach cabañas, hammocks, fire pits — a deliberate isolation that has kept it un-Puerto-ified. Beginner (inside) to advanced (main point). Beach cabañas $15-40/night.
33Puerto Escondido — Zicatela (the Mexican Pipeline)
Likely the heaviest beach break in the world. Zicatela's bathymetry — a deepwater trench that focuses long-period S and SW swells directly onto a black-sand beach — produces 40-to-60-foot faces in big summer swells, and the everyday summer wave is double-overhead with the kind of throw that snaps boards and breaks bones. The 2015 swell saw 60-foot+ days that drew the world's best big-wave riders. Coco Nogales, Greg Long, Ian Walsh, Mark Healey, and the Lopez brothers are part of the regular charging crew. A-frame sand-bottom beach break, left (Far Bar) and right (Carmelita's) primary peaks. April-October S-SW swell, NE offshore. Heaviest May-August. Advanced to expert only.
34La Punta (Puerto Escondido)
At the south end of Zicatela, La Punta is the friendlier sibling — a long, peeling left-hand point/sandbar wave that handles small to medium S swells beautifully. Year-round break — even on the smallest days, La Punta produces some of the most rideable longboard waves on the Oaxacan coast. The winter and shoulder-season months are when this side of Puerto is at its absolute best for longboarders. Where surf schools (Sasha Donnano's, Experiencia Puerto Escondido) bring beginners; where shortboarders and loggers happily coexist when Zicatela is too big. Tropical bohemia of mezcal bars, taquerias, and surf shops. Beginner to advanced. Casa Frutas y Verduras ($60-170), Cabañas Pepe ($25-60), Selina / Nílu Puerto Escondido ($11 dorm — $120 private), Hotel Casona Sforza ($300+).
35Carrizalillo
Tucked in a horseshoe cove west of Zicatela, Puerto's beginner break — a sheltered, palm-fringed beach reached by 167 steps down from the bluff. Two small point breaks peel toward the middle of the bay. Mellow, longboard-friendly, the wave nearly every visiting surf school uses. Board rentals on the beach (~500 pesos). Beginner to intermediate. Villas Carrizalillo ($180-300), Casa Losodeli & Coworking ($15-90).
36Playa Bacocho / Coral / Marinero
Bacocho is a long beach north of Carrizalillo, mostly residential and resort-fronted, with occasional rideable peaks but punishing shore-pound. Coral offers a beach break used by some surf schools when Carrizalillo is crowded. Playa Marinero, between Zicatela and the harbor, is the easiest of Puerto's beaches — short, soft, beginner-friendly waves and a relaxed family scene.
37Mazunte / San Agustinillo / Zipolite
Ninety minutes east of Puerto Escondido. The bohemian villages of Mazunte (yoga-and-mezcal), San Agustinillo (beach-shack chic), and Zipolite (Mexico's only nudist beach) sit on a coast bent enough to break swell differently than Puerto. San Agustinillo is a year-round break — a forgiving sandy beach break, Oaxaca's preferred beginner alternative to Carrizalillo, with the same warm water but a sleepier vibe. Works all year and is at its longboarding best on the smaller, glassier days. Mazunte has a couple of small right points and a wedgy beach break that works year-round, peaking in size on summer south swells. Zipolite is a strong, rip-prone beach break — fun, peaky right-handers on the right day. Casa Mazunte Tierra Viva, Hotel Zoa, Un Sueño Cabañas del Pacífico.
38Barra de la Cruz
Three hours south of Puerto Escondido and 25 km east of Huatulco. The indigenous Chontal village of Barra de la Cruz hosts the right-hand sand-and-rock point known locally as La Ola Perfecta. The wave starts with a steep, slightly rocky takeoff, then opens into a long, glassy wall with a barrel section, a foam-ball recovery zone, and a second inside takeoff that speeds up and barrels again. The 2006 Rip Curl Search was the global coming-out party. Per WSL's official recap: "Mick Fanning compared it to Kirra. Kelly Slater claimed it was better than Snapper Rocks." Per Swellnet's 2021 dispatch, Andy Irons defeated Taylor Knox 16.86 to 11.33 in the final. The WSL returned in 2021 for the Corona Open Mexico — Stephanie Gilmore won her 32nd CT victory (per WSL), and Jack Robinson claimed his first-ever CT win by 0.02 points over Deivid Silva. Intermediate to advanced/expert. March-October; peak June-July. Pepe's Cabañas ($10-20/night, $20/day community beach-access fee), Cabañas Barra Habitación ($48/night). 45 minutes from Huatulco airport (HUX).
39Salina Cruz — Punta Conejo, Punta Chivo, Punta Escondida, Chipehua
East of Huatulco, the coast bends southeast into the Gulf of Tehuantepec, and an industrial port town called Salina Cruz becomes the unlikely host to one of the densest concentrations of sand-bottom right points in the world. Punta Conejo (Rabbit Point): The signature wave — a 300-meter Malibu-style right but faster, hollower, more rippable. Sand-bottom. Holds size. Currently under campaign by the Save The Waves Coalition for a 3,500-acre Protected Area. Punta Chivo (Goat Point): Similar but more advanced — sand-bottom right with giant pinnacle rocks. A famous section of the Trilogy film featuring Andy Irons, Joel Parkinson, and Mick Fanning was shot here. Punta Escondida (Hidden Point): A private-road right point capable of giving up some of the longest, deepest barrels on big swells. Tom Curren rode it alone in "Free Scrubber" during the pandemic. Punta Chipehua: Another fast, hollow right. Las Palmeras Surf Resort (the first locally owned camp, est. 1992 by David Ramírez; $1,150 for 4 nights, $1,550 for 6 nights, $2,115 for 8 nights, all-inclusive); Punta Conejo Resort ($300/night solo); Punta Chipehua Surf Camp. Closest airport HUX, 2-2.5 hours.
How to plan a trip by skill and season
First-time surf traveler · December-March
Base in Sayulita (Nayarit). Take lessons at Sayulita beach, day-trip to El Anclote and La Lancha, drive into San Pancho for dinner. Two weeks. Budget ~$2,500-4,500 all-in. Hotelito Los Sueños or Petit Hotel Hafa.
Intermediate longboarder · point breaks year-round
Fly to Loreto (LTO) and drive 3.5 hours to Scorpion Bay for ten days, or fly to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo (ZIH) and split a week between La Saladita and Troncones. La Chuparosa de Saladita or The Inn at Manzanillo Bay.
Advanced surfer · the grail trip · May-August
Fly into Huatulco (HUX). Book a 6-night package at Las Palmeras Surf Resort in Salina Cruz ($1,550 all-in), with a side trip to Barra de la Cruz to confirm everything Kelly Slater said about it. Add days at the end in Puerto Escondido for Zicatela or La Punta. Budget: $4,000-7,000.
Expert charger · big-wave specialist · winter for Killers/La Pastora; summer for Zicatela/Pascuales
Drive Baja in winter — K-38 → San Miguel → Killers charter → Scorpion Bay → Todos Santos. Or fly to Manzanillo (ZLO), surf Pascuales for ten days, then jump to Puerto Escondido. Bring three boards minimum.
The explorer · Highway 200 road trip
Three to four weeks. Manzanillo → Boca de Apiza → La Ticla → Faro de Bucerías → Nexpa → Caleta de Campos → Saladita → Troncones → Zihuatanejo → Puerto Escondido → Mazunte → Barra de la Cruz → Salina Cruz.
According to La Saladita Guide's atlas of the Mexican Pacific surf coast, 40+ named breaks across nine regions cover 4,500 km from the Tijuana border to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec — the most varied and consistent surf zone in North America. The icons (Killers, Scorpion Bay, Cabo's Zippers, Pascuales, Nexpa, Saladita, Zicatela, Barra de la Cruz, Punta Conejo) anchor the map; the hidden middle is where the trip turns into a pilgrimage.
Cite this atlas as: