The Best Beginner Surf Spots
Looking to learn to surf or progress onto green waves? Here are our favorite beginner waves in Latin America.
The Best Beginner Waves
Tamarindo, CR
Crowds - Fairly crowded
Surfer Level - Beginners+
Ideal Swell - NW-SW
Ideal Wind - NE-SE
Break Type - Beach, Reef
Consistency - 90%+ in summer
Be Aware: Sand bar, reef in parts
El Tunco, SV
Crowds - Super crowded
Surfer Level - Beginners+
Ideal Swell - S/SW
Ideal Wind - N/NE
Break Type - Point, Beach
Consistency - 90%+
Be Aware: Rocky bottom
Maderas, NC
Crowds - Super crowded
Surfer Level - Beginners+
Ideal Swell - W/SW
Ideal Wind - E/NE
Break Type - Sandbar beach break
Consistency - 80%
Be Aware: Moving peaks
Sayulita, MX
Crowds - Super crowded
Surfer Level - Beginners
Ideal Swell - W/SW
Ideal Wind - E/NE
Break Type - Sandbar beach break
Consistency - 90%
Be Aware: Sand bar, crazy busy
Find our favorite beginner surf spots by country at the bottom of this page.
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
Tamarindo comes first on our list of the best surfing in Latin America for beginners for a few reasons. I lived in Costa Rica as a young teenager, and this country is just something special to me. More objectively, it has waves for everyone, from Witch’s Rock and Ollie’s Point to the more mellow Playa Grande. With plenty of schools and camps, many people first fall in love with surfing here. The town of Tamarindo is a bit touristy and expensive, even for Costa Rica. But the payoff is that there are a lot of things to do, it is absolutely beautiful, and the wave consistency is one of the best in the Americas.
PROS
Super Consistent
Costa Rica rocks
Safe, clean, modern
CONS
A bit pricy
Touristy
Sometimes crowded
El Tunco, El Salvador
El Salvador is known for having some incredible surf at places like K59, but there are also plenty of beginner-friendly waves. Playa El Tunco is in the town of Libertad, the hub of surfing in the country and known internationally as Surf City. El Tunco is the home of the new surfers in the area, offering an insane amount of mush and whitewater. One of the lovely things about El Tunco is that once you are confident on the board, there are countless other options nearby to progress your surfing. Full disclosure: El Salvador has had really high crime rates in the recent past. It’s getting better, and we’ve never had any problems with multiple trips there. But it is worth noting.
PROS
Super Consistent
Tons of schools
Room for progression
Laid back
CONS
Usually crowded
Security issues
Not a ton of other things to do
Sayulita, Mexico
No list of beginner surf spots in the world is complete without listing Sayulita. Nestled on the Pacific Coast in the state of Nayarit, Sayulita is the surf town in Mexico for beginners. The main break for beginners is the Sandbar. You may have guessed, but it’s a sandbar beach break right in town. The nice thing about Sayulita is there are literally waves in the middle of town. You don’t have to drive anywhere to get to the waves. And at either end of the main beach there are lefts and rights that form from river mouths. In addition, the beach is full of surf classes and coaches, rentals of any kind of board you can imagine, and awesome little surf camps.
PROS
Super Consistent
Fun town
Tons of classes
Year-round spot
CONS
Super Consistent
Crazy crowded in winter
A bit pricy for Mexico
Maderas, Nicaragua
Playa Maderas is the best beginner wave in Nicaragua in our opinion, and one of the best overall beginner waves in the region. Just outside the main surf hub of San Juan del Sur, Playa Maderas is a bit quieter both as a town and as a wave. It can get bigger days when the SE swells are kicking up, but there are plenty of places to learn in the whitewater. An A-frame wave, Maderas breaks both left and right. This makes it a great choice for people progressing to going down the line and practicing both backside and frontside. San Juan del Sur is a bit more popping, and Maderas is more of an artsy, chill vibe.
PROS
Super Consistent
Quiet-ish Town
Surf year-round
CONS
Can get crowded
Quiet-ish town
Peaks can move around
Beginner Surf Spots by Country
Costa Rica
Honduras
Peru
El Salvador
Mexico
Guatemala
Nicaragua
What Makes a Wave Beginner-Friendly?
All this talk about surfing for beginners and beginner breaks… What exactly do we mean? There are a few things that make a wave or spot beginner-friendly in our books:
There are mellow waves! Duh. K59 isn’t a good beginner spot because the waves there PUMP. To learn the fundamentals of surfing like paddling, popping up, knowing when to do both, how to balance, etc., you need whitewater. It’s not the most glorious surfing in the world, but it’s where we all start.
Schools and classes are available. You could probably find mushy whitewater waves many places in the world. What you won’t find is a qualified surf instructor, lifeguards, and the right board for you to use. It’s helpful to work with a surf coach as you don’t want to build bad habits that you later have to unlearn.
There’s room for progression. To varying degrees, every spot on our list has both beginner waves and options for bigger waves somewhere nearby. Once you do master the art of paddling and you can pop up with confidence, you do want to push yourself a bit to progress. Good beginner surf spots have the mellow waves, but also some small greenwater waves to grow on.
How to Get Started Surfing
If you are looking for a travel destination that includes waves and surfing for beginners, chances are you’re either interested in surfing or have already given it a shot. If you have tried surfing, you’re either intrigued or already in love. Traveling to a new destination to surf is a great way to accelerate your growth. You may not live near a sea or perhaps there aren’t many beginner-friendly waves. Our recommendation is to 100% take some classes while you are visiting a legit surf town. Most surf spots have experienced schools and coaches to help teach you the fundamentals. Sure, it may be a bit boring or tedious at first, but these fundamentals will lay the groundwork for some absolute shredding in the future.
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