Cabarete surfing is all about the area of Encuentro, which has a handful of breaks for all levels that works fantastically well on winter north swells.
An introduction to Cabarete surfing
When most people talk about Cabarete surfing, what they’re really talking about is Encuentro surfing. See, Cabarete has really cut its teeth as a windsurfing town. That’s come about thanks to the strong and consistent trades that flow over in the Atlantic streams in the warmer months. But, track a couple of miles along the coast and you’ll discover an upcoming clutch of surf lodges and breaks that represents the finest spot in the whole Dominican Republic.
That’s Encuentro, the kingpin of Cabarete surfing (sans sail, of course). The area spreads about 3,700 feet from end to end and hosts five very accessible breaks in that distance. They start with some heavy left reefs and quickly mellow into more beginner-worthy spots in front of the main rental stands and condos. The best part? Because this part of the island is exposed to the open Atlantic, these waves work virtually all year round.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in the Caribbean
Cabarete surfing at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to Cabarete surfing?
Where is Cabarete?
Cabarete sits on a squiggle of coastline on the northern side of the Dominican Republic. It’s roughly midway down that shore, between the Haitian border and the resort strips of Punta Cana. That all means that it has a prime location for getting the full whack of N Atlantic swells when the season is in full swing. For travelers looking to get here, Santo Domingo and Punta Cana are the likely arrival points (they have the island’s two largest airports). From the first, a transfer should take around four hours. From the latter, it should take around six hours.
A guide to the Cabarete surf spots
Cabarete surfing centers on Encuentro, which has four or five separate breaks. We’ll touch on them briefly here, but you can get a bit more detail in our full guide to surfing in the Dominican Republic.
Encuentro
When people say they’re going surifing in Cabarete, what they often mean to say is that they’re going surfing in Encuentro. This chilled area is just under four miles around the coast to the west of the town center and it’s the piece de resistance of surfing on the Dominican Republic north shore, period. To be honest, it’s the best surfing on the island as a whole. There are about five individual breaks in all. Starting west to east, they are: Destroyers – An expert-level reef that needs some good N swell size to work but is fast and occasionally hollow.
The Encuentro Left – A left hander that peels off the middle reef of the bay and offers some good shoulders for bottom turns and turns off the lip. Intermediates and up will love it.
Main Break – The main spot here, works all the time (even in the summer months) and hosts about five separate take-off points. The inside is the best learner area in the DR.
Coco Pipe – Again, it’s experts only at the Coco Pipe, which is a winter time right and left on shallow reef. The right can hollow out on big overhead days.
Bozo
Bozo Beach is the spot that really helped Cabarete town establish itself as one of the world’s main kitesurfing havens. That’s all down to the dominant trades that flow continuously throughout the summer months. When the winter swings around and the wind dips and changes, though, the spot can also hoover up some nice big N swells and start offering nippy peaks for the performance heads out there. It’s lately gained a rep for being something of an airs practice ground, so watch overhead for flying fibre.
Cabarete Beach
There’s about 1.5 miles of beach break that stretches from the eastern side of Cabarete town. We don’t really like it all that much. It’s choppy and unreliable in the summer, especially if you don’t get in before 8am with the birds and let the wind get up. In winter, it needs big NW pulses to help the swell beat the reefs in most places. Plus, said reefs can be pretty shallow and sharp, so you’re likely to be rewarded with some sessions on the iodine. The way to do this one is to watch the locals and spot the breaks in the reefs where there’s a sand channel where it’s safer to ride.
Mananero
There’s one fast left and one okay-ish right at the bending beach in Mananero, a couple of clicks to the east of Cabarete town center. Neither are worth the trek down this way if you’re staying in Encuentro mind. A lot of the time they are close outs.
Where to stay when surfing in Cabarete?
As we’ve mentioned time and time again, Cabarete surfing is really about the small area of Encuentro to the west. That’s where we’ve picked out three of the finest stays for surfers, including one surf lodge that’s among the finest in the whole of Latin America. Big words. Cracking surf lodge!
El Encuentro Surf Lodge
The El Encuentro Surf Lodge is the single best surf stay on the whole island. It’s garnered a bit of a rep as one of the best surf camps in the whole Caribbean, in fact. We can see why. A long length pool waits in the grounds. The rooms channel a touch of Caribbean zing and color but remain modern and comfy. The on-site eatery is all about health food to get you ready for long days on the waves. It’s everything you could ask for and more.
Surfbreak B&B
Thatched roofs and a ring of palm groves help Surfbreak B&B to retain a quiet, more off-the-beaten-path feel. However, you’re still only 15 minutes’ walking from the Main Break at Encuentro. Other pluses include communal outdoor eating areas and a large garden pool.
Ocean Palms Residences
If you want to have a whole pad to call your own, then the larger suites at the Ocean Palms Residences are a good fallback. They’re close to the beaches of Encuentro, have access to their own swimming pool, but also boast some more practical features, like self-catering kitchens and private lounge areas for chilling in.
Step-by-step guide to planning your cabarete surfing trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the cabarete surfing…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 Cabarete?
It’s all about the north swell in Cabarete. That means that winter is the time to come here, since that’s when the big low-pressure systems are moving across the Atlantic to the north of the island, sending swell pulse after swell pulse into the reefs of Encuentro. Fall marks the beginning of that and waves will get progressively bigger as you approach January. This is the time to come to chase barrels on Destroyers and whatnot.
Remember that this is the Atlantic. Swell rarely shuts off altogether and summer is actually a great option for learner surfers wanting something a touch smaller. During that time (May-August), it’s always best to plan dawnies and skip the heat of the day, which is when the wind can get up.
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!
