Santa Teresa and Malpais have become famous areas for surfing, and many famous surfers, including Kelly Slater, have been seen riding waves here in the past few years. The Malpais side of town has few sandy beaches, so it’s more known for various point breaks, including many that work only for particular swell size and direction. Santa Teresa has a lot more sand, so there are miles of good beach breaks, as well as a few great point breaks. In this surf guide, we will give you some tips to know more about the different surf spots in Malpais, Santa Teresa and Hermosa. We will also recommend the best surf instructors in town.
Surf Spots in Malpais, Santa Teresa and Hermosa
Manzanillo: The reef is offshore at the north end of the beach. Very fickle wave which needs a lot of swell to work.
Playa Hermosa: A long sandy beach with easy going beach breaks, both lefts and rights, well suited for surf beginners.
Playa Santa Teresa: Presents a variety of beach breaks, point breaks and high swells for the more experienced surfers. The surf is better at low tide when waves tend to be faster.
Playa Carmen: A long right and a shorter left, surfing over sand. It is a good break for beginners learning to surf.
The surf spots in Malpais are challenging and not suited for beginners:
Mar Azul: A reef break with a long lefthand which wraps around the point turning into a great hot dog wave. This area needs a lot of swell to work properly. Watch out for the rocks.
Sunset Reef: Another lefthand reef break with a fast take off followed by a long workable wall. Gets hollow with size and offshore winds and also needs a good swell to work. Take care as surfing over the shallow reef can be dangerous.
SURF LESSONS
After spending an hour, walking around in Santa Teresa; you will quickly realize how many people offer their service as surf instructors.
This is why we would like to introduce to you our favorite surf instructors in Santa Teresa:
Bernal Rosales
Bernal offers personalized surf lessons for all levels and all ages of surfers.
Whether you are learning for the first time or want to fine-tune advanced skills, trust that you are in safe hands. The private or group lesson (max 3 students per instructor) usually lasts 90 minutes.
PRICES:
65$ per person for group lesson
75$ per person for private lesson
JACKALOPES SURF SHOP
We also recommend Jackalopes Surf Shop who also give surfing lessons. They are located in Playa Hermosa, right next to the Couleur Café restaurant. The perfect place to spend a day surfing in the very wild spot of Hermosa. They are open every day from 8 am to 5 pm. When booking your surf lesson, don't forget to indicate that you are coming from Santa Teresa Information.
PRICES:
60$ per person
50$ per person (for a lesson with 2 people)
45$ per person (for a group lesson)
Jackalopes Surf Shop can also rent you surfboards of all kinds.
PRICES:
12$ for half a day
15$ for 24 hours
10$ per day (from 7 days rental)