Santa Catalina surf made its name for the long right-hand reef breaks that work to the east of the center. Today, this small, remote town is the captial of surfing on the Panamanian Pacific.
An introduction to Santa Catalina surf
Santa Catalina has emerged as the de facto capital of surfing in Panama. It’s a good option for it, because the town sits plum on a Z-bend of coastline that sucks up all the S swells that roll through in the summer, and even good WNW swells in the winter.
It meets that with a patch of reef that can create long, sometimes hollow, always fun rights at La Punta, along with a series of great beach breaks more suited to the beginner crowd – mainly El Estero beach just to the east of the center.
We’d couple all those pluses with the emergence of some fantastic surf camps. They range from downright luxury spots to more vintage Central American beach stays. Visit to get the finest surf guiding in the country (well, it’s either here or in Playa Venao) and consistency that will blow your socks off.
Santa Catalina feels a lot like Tamarindo did 20 years ago. The line ups are empty, the waves are very high quality. It’s got all the ingredients and we think it’s going places.
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!
This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in Panama
Santa Catalina surf at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to Santa Catalina surf?
Where is Santa Catalina?
Santa Catalina is a small fishing village and surf haven located on the Pacific coast of Veraguas Province in Panama. It’s sat at the southeastern tip of the Azuero Peninsula. That puts it some six hours’ driving from the sprawl of Panama City and a little less from the Costa Rican border in the west.
How to get to Santa Catalina?
Fly into Tocumen International Airport (PTY) in Panama City – there are loads of major airlines that offer links to and from the US. Take a bus or drive to Santiago (approx. 3.5 hours). From Santiago, head to Soná (1 hour) by bus or car. From Soná, grab another bus to Santa Catalina (2 hours). Roads are mostly paved but can be bumpy closer to Santa Catalina.
Alternatively, the easy mode is to get a direct transfer to the beach from the airport – latest reports from the ground are that it costs roughly $150 per person.
Then there’s the brave option of renting a car. Don’t be too put off by this. Drivers in Panama – at least outside of Panama City – don’t tend to go too crazy and the rates for rentals are sure to beat the cost of a taxi. Plus, your own wheels adds more adventure into the mix because you can drive from surf break to surf break whenever you like.
Santa Catalina surf spots
Punta Roca
The rocky point of Punta Roca breaks to the west of Santa Catalina town. It’s a half-hour walk along the shoals and muddy shore path to get there, or a five-minute hop in a boat.
The wave here only really works as the water peels back to get shallow on the reef, when it will suck off the main stack and give a fun, sometimes-steep left shoulder when its big and a crumbly wall that sections when it’s smaller. Nice paddle out but a relatively challenging wave simply because it’s shallow. Mainly for upper intermediates. Hardly ever a crowd.
La Punta
The highlight of a surf trip to Santa Catalina has to be the epic La Punta point break. It’s situated on the wide reefs that poke out of the eastern end of the main beach and is now overlooked by some of the best surf camps in the whole of Panama.
There’s lots going for this wave but if we had to pick out the main draw it would be the consistency. It basically works the whole of the peak summer season and like 80% of the time in the wet season, too, with good W swells in the midwinter sending in the biggest walls of the lot.
There is a left at La Punta. It’s short, sharp, and really for quick drop ins into a shelving shoulder. The right is the money wave, though. It comes off the main drop-in point and goes fast before slowing down as it bowls around the reef. The best days will turn that initial section into a something hollow for quick pits before spitting you out onto a tapering shoulder.
Most say this is an upper-intermediate break but there’s that long shoulder to hang on so there’s potential for it to be for improvers too, so long as you’re careful where you idle and make good wave choices.
At low tide, look for the two paddle channels between the reefs. Otherwise it’s ding central.
Estero Beach
If it weren’t for Estero Beach, we don’t think Santa Catalina would be quite the famed surf town that it’s slowly and surely becoming.
Basically, this wide bay of coffee-tinged sand is where the beginners and intermediates go to score good, solid shoulders both left and right. They work on either side of the bay, but the rights at the western end are superior. We’ve seen them line up like lovely mini Imsouanes, curving into the sand to offer rides of 50-80 meters and plenty of top-to-bottom turn practice along the way.
Punta Brava
The short but fun lefts of Punta Brava only work an hour before or an hour after low tide. They can be shallow, so are better for intermediate surfers with at least some experience surfing on rock reefs. The key here is to position right on the take-off point. Too far on the inside and you’ll be sucked into the reef to scratch your EPS and skin. Too far on the outside and it will be a long day of catching nada.
Playa Morrillo
We mention Playa Morrillo not because it’s reachable from Santa Catalina or anything but because it’s worth stopping at on your way/out of town. The beach here throws out a stunning A-frame with hollow rights. Okay, it’s 20 miles across the channel from Catalina itself but you’ll want to drop by to take a look if you’re heading this way, perhaps onto other major Panamanian surf towns like Playa Venao.
Surf camps in Santa Catalina
You’ll have noticed that we’ve mentioned a couple of times that there’s a growing array of surf camps in Santa Catalina and that they’re leading the way in Panama. Yep, this town – along with Playa Venao over to the east a little – is now the hub of surf tourism in the Pacific region and we really, really like some of the offerings out there, especially…
- Waluaa Surf & Yoga – The week-long pacakge from these guys really is a corker. It’s packed with yoga and surf tuition that artfully blends the two complimentary pursuits. Vibes are good and all your surf lessons are done with ISA-level instructors.
- Rancho Estero – Bed down in a timber-built cottage overlooking the coast jungles and the beaches, surf at least 1.5 hours for four days running, and get healthy tropical breakfasts inlcuded – that’s what this package has up its sleeve, all for just over $750 per person.
A note on why we partner with BookSurfCamps.com: Book Surf Camps are probably the biggest online aggregator of surf camps and surf-yoga packages in the world. We sounded out a quite a few potential partners before we affiliated with them. But, in the end, the abundance of choice for beginners, intermediates, and female-only surfing sealed it. We also love the simplicity of their booking system and the trusted brand name, along with the focus on connecting with homegrown local businesses on the ground.
Want more Santa Catalina surf camp options? Search the whole shebang below right now and book in a few clicks.
Where to stay when surfing in Santa Catalina?
Of course, you don’t HAVE to go for a surf camp. You can DIY a trip here, for which there’s a matching array of seriously fine coast hotels that have some serious pizzazz. Check out…
- Villa Coco – Villa Coco has style. You’ll stay in one of the standalone villas in the lush tropical gardens and get an infinity pool hemmed in by big teak trees and flowering plants. It’s a super relaxing spot and right on the reefs where you paddle out for La Punta!
- Bodhi Santa Catalina – A very cool eco hangout space with bungalow rooms and hammock-strewn gardens that perches up on the hillsides above the main playa.
Step-by-step guide to planning your Santa Catalina surf trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the Santa Catalina surf…Lately, we like Omio for searching flights. It’s a nice interface and has lots of airline options. We also use Skyscanner because that sometimes offers deals that even beat going direct to the carrier!
Step two: Book your surf camp Book Surf Camps is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages on the internet right now. Then there’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check EXACTLY how close your hotel is to a surf break.
Step three: Get insuranceThis is kinda’ important. Not just for surf trips but for any trips. SafetyWing is great for nomad travelers. They offer rolling contracts that cover amateur surfing.
Step four (optional): Rent a car If you’re surf camping then you might not need wheels. If you’re not then we’ll just say this: We’ve never been on a surf trip that wasn’t improved by having our own car. Use RentalCars – they’re the best.
Step five: Enjoy!
For paying for stuff when you’re traveling – Get a Wise borderless card/account. They charge NOTHING for POS payments in any country and have some of the best FX rates around in our humble opinion.
When to surf in Santa Catalina?
Santa Catalina boasts consistent surf basically all year round, but optimal rides are during the wet season from April to October. This period sees consistent S-SW swells, resulting in powerful, hollow waves perfect for advanced surfers. Morning sessions are still recommended due to offshore breezes providing cleaner wave faces.
December to March can also offer decent surf with N-NW swells, but conditions are less predictable and the rights will always be better.
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!
