The Boom, Nicaragua – The Barrel Factory of the North
The Boom is not your usual Nicaraguan beach break. It’s nothing like Playa Maderas or Playa Gigante down south, and the main reason for that is wind.
Where the southerly breaks here are famed for their consistent offshores (like, never-turns-off sorta consisten), The Boom is in a part of the country where Lake Managua (the engine room of said offshores) no longer works its magic.
But there’s other magic. Built in the ilk of Puerto Escondido and Supertubos over in Portugal, The Boom is product of a deep underwater canyon sucking all that swell and pushing it straight over a neat little sandbar. All that on a truly remote, coffee-tinged beachfront close to a ramshackle surf town that’s loveable to the T.
It’s mega consistent. It’s pretty heavy. Like I said: It’s a different beast than the user-friendly stuff down south.
The area around The Boom is also noticeably short on good surf spots. There are beach breaks galore but not any poster-boy waves for a while.
That’s why this isn’t a surf town in the classic sense. People just do not come here in the same way they do San Juan del Sur or Maderas. It’s more a collection of little surf lodges that spreads through the forest behind the bay.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
>>Read more about surfing in Nicaragua
Surfing The Boom
The Boom is a shifty, rippy beach break that mimics Hossegor and Supertubos and even Nazare’s main beach on its smallest days.
It’s dumpy and move all over the place. BUT, the pay off here is not clean, long walls. You don’t come for that.
You come for tubes morning to night.
Take off on the triangle wedge right in the middle, judge it right, and choose your direction. Within seconds, this one will spit you into a perfect rifle barrel that can be 3 or 5 meters long.
You’ll be in there seconds before getting blasted out the other end most times, but it’s a rush. Keep your speed as you whiz out to angle the board up and get ramp-like shoulders to go flying as you please.
A big old monster of a beach break that gives barrels out like candy, that’s this boy.
Sadly, it’s fickle. There are some conditions that I would say are non-negotiable here:
- High tide (see below)
- Mornings (offshores can shut off after even 10am)
- Swells that aren’t massive – The Boom doesn’t like too much size.
What tide to surf The Boom?
Pushing mid or full tide is the only time you can surf The Boom to be honest. The water’s got to come up and cover those sandbars, otherwise it won’t really work.
Now, there’s something to consider here: Mornings are the only real time The Boom works because of those offshores. That means you won’t be all that happy if you rock up to find that the only high tides you’re gonna have hit in the afternoons.
Check a tide chart before booking.
Is The Boom busy?
It’s getting busier these days, but it’s nothing on the southerly breaks of Nica.
There’s a reason for that, of course. Not only are the waves here not suited for the, shall we say, mass surfing crowd, being mainly expert waves, or at least upper intermediate, but there’s no real developed surf infrastructure.
You don’t get quite so many boutique surf hotels and things; it’s more like locally owned guesthouses within striking distance to the beach that have been re-branded to reflect the selling point that is walking/driving access to the spot.
Also, The Boom is much further from Managua Airport that most of the famous Nica spots – Popoyo, for example, is just 2 hours away, while The Boom demands are drive of at least 4 hours.
Where to stay to surf The Boom?
There’s not loads here – so don’t come expecting like peak 5-star luxury. But, in the last few years, as this spot has come a bit more mainstream, there have been new options opening up.
Among them is one standout. As with most options, it’s located in the tiny little town of Aserradores – a short drive to The Boom itself and where most people stay.
- Badaboom Hostal & Surf – A nice mix of double rooms and privates, some of which even have AC, are on offer at this backpacker’s/surfer’s hostel. The highlight is the pool and bar space, though. People will hang there like all afternoon after sessions on the wave in the morning.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
