Surfing in El Salvador

Surf El Salvador - Quick Facts
LOCATION: Central America
POPULATION: 6300000
NATIONALITY: Salvadorian
LANGUAGE: Spanish, Nahua
CURRENCY: US dollar

"Republic of the Savior" (El Salvador) is bordered by Honduras and Guetamala. Its coastline is on the Pacific Ocean and it lies on the Gulf of Fonseca. The population is steadily approaching six and a half million, and due to being the smallest country in Central America, is the most densely packed.
The capital of the country is San Salvador and as of 2001, the currency is the US Dollar.

El Salvador Surf Spot Map

The surf map is updated when visitors add their own waves, experiences, surf camps etc. so check back regularly.

The country is full of right point breaks and a such is a
natural footers dream surfing vacation. Surf can be found all along the Pacific coastline, where more than 10 world class pointbreaks can be found. There are spots that can hold the biggest swells the Pacific has on offer.

Crowds here are non-existent away from the main towns and cities and there is huge potential to descover spots that have never been surfed before. The smaller swell size here means that beginners can have a great trip.

The main swell season , March to October, coincides with the rainy season. The south swells during this time can get up to 10ft - the points really come alight! The rest of the year produces surfable waves so a trip here can be taken any time. In the off season the winds are almost constantly offshore, so things are not all bad. Another nice bonus is that the water temperature means that it is board shorts all year round - nice!

The surf is at its largest during the wet season which spans from May to October. The dry season has smaller but more consistent offshore conditions.



There is surf all along the coast but a good place to start is La Libertad with waves like The Pier, La Paz and Playa Conchalio (great for beginners). Don't forget to take your booties for getting in and out at the rocky points. El Salvador Surf Camps has some great information about the waves in the area. The page at elsalvadorsurfcamps.com/ubicacion.html has details on spots and accommodation, so you could start planning a trip there.

Surfing in El Savador- The Good
Great Quality Point Breaks
Lots of Room For Discovery Of New Spots
Cheap to Live

Surf El Salvador- The Bad and the Ugly
Only Catches Southerly Swells
Rainy Swell Season (you'll be wet anyway though!)
Watch Out For Earthquakes & Urchins

El Salvador Surfing Conditions

Tell us how good or bad your El Salvador surf holiday, we'd love to hear which surf camp is the best available for visiting surfers. Also, check out other surf spots in Central America.

Click the link for some background (non surfing related) information on El Salvador



The photo above was taken at Punta Roca, which was the location for the inaugural Association of Surfing Professionals 4-Star Copa Quiksilver El Salvador.

If you're looking for a place to stay, elsalvadorsurfcamps.com is a good option. It's smack in the middle of some of the regions best waves.

Any board will suit. Funboards, fish surfboards and longboards all work well on the majority of waves found here. Shortboards between 6' to 6'10" are ideal.

Warm water all the year round ensures that you can surf in board shorts. A full rash vest is advisable for sun protection, as is decent waterproof sunscreen.

It is also worthwhile bringing booties along for surfing at low tide.