Ultimate Dominican Republic Surf & Travel Guide
The Dominican Republic is one of the stand-out surf destinations in the Caribbean. Occupying half of the island of Hispaniola, it pretty much picks up where Puerto Rico leaves off.
But it actually faces the opposite way as Rincon, which means it’s all about the N-NE swells that kick through the Altantic and roll down the Eastern Seaboard of US.
Those will roll into the north coast of the island (also known as the Amber Coast), which is home to the best breaks of all – Cabarete, Encuentro. As they come, they pound into the outer reefs but occasionally filter through into channels where they shape up into nice rights and lefts that can get hollow and rippable at lots of points.
Overall, we’d put Dominican Republic surf down as an intermediate stomping ground. The breaks are primarily reefs and they can get punchy, espeically as you near the height of the winter season.
The main downsides? Line ups are swelling as more people realize the consistency on offer on Hispaniola, and the wind, though you can dodge that with early morning surfs (gusts usually pick up later in the day).
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 the Caribbean
Dominican Republic surf at a glance
The good:
- Waves all year round
- Mix of beach breaks and reefs
- Different seasons for different levels
The bad:
- Some spots can be hard to get to
- Some shallow reefs that are urchin fests
The top surf spots in the Dominican Republic
You’ll see that the main array of breaks in the Dominican Republic await on the north coast, starting in earnest at the chilled beach town of Encuentro just west of Cabarete. We’ll follow those around to the south coast, which isn’t as reliable but has smaller crowds than the north.
Punta Cana is the resort area at the eastern end of the island – busy, not great waves, but okay as an option if you just want to have a surf lesson while on vacation.
La Puntilla
La Puntilla is the premier break of Puerto Plata. It’s got a left and a right, breaking outside the main harbor of the town. The paddle is made easy thanks to the wide channel to the left hand side, which is where the better walls end up anyhow.
Sadly, pollution from the city is a big issue here and this is one of the sketchiest breaks on the Amber Coast. Not great when there have been heavy rains.
Sosua Bay
The first of the many surf spots that are usually coupled together along the Encuentro-Cabarete strip is Sousa Bay. Unlike all its compadres, it’s tucked behind a big bulge in the DR northern coast that means it’s immune to any SE swell pulses from across the open Atlantic.
That means it ONLY works when big low pressure systems sweep to the north, sending N swells straight down and into the rocks that form the point break. When it gets going (which is rare) it’s a great wave, but it’s no cinch.
The takeoff moves to and fro with every set, so you can’t get noodle arms in these parts. Keep paddling and you can drop into a big right shoulder that peels for about 50 yards or so and invites turns at the top. Kick out early because the channel is an urchin fest.
Destroyers
Named for the uber-shallow reef base, Destroyers is the hardest of all the waves on the Encuentro line up. It’s claimed many a first layer of skin in its time and will likely continue to do so, because local crews and better surfers will always look this way for what’s arguably the best rippable performance wave in the Dominican Republic.
The left is the best. We think it peels off a bit like a Nias wet season break, getting thin and hollow as it tapers into a shoulder. When it’s at its biggest it’s unquestionably a trays only wave.
Encuentro Left
The Encuentro Left is the usual stomping ground of the local crews. It’s relatively consistent, works well on those wintertime N swells, and shapes up real nice for intermediates+ and up. The take off is at the tip of a dash of offshore reef on the western end of the bay (the only spot further out than this is Destroyers).
Go there and drop quickly into the channel to ride the first section through what’s usually a waves desperately trying to either hollow or close out depending on the direction.
Soon, things ease and you get a neater ride that’s workable on cutback after cutback for nearly 100 meters. Usually busy but the vibes are pretty nice.
Encuentro Main Break/Main Peak
There’s no wave in northern DR that can match the consistency of Encuentro’s Main Break. Althuogh it’s the speckling of reef patches below the water that give the spot its shape, it’s really better looked at as a dash of about 250 meters of beach break wave.
That’s because there’s not just one or two peaks, but a couple. The best is a right at the western end of the Main Break, which is short but usually well formed, with a finish in a nice paddle channel. The inside section has come to be known as Bobos for the surf shop
shack that’s right in front. That’s an easy wave – one of the easiest on the island – and is usually dominated by surf school groups. Winter is the best time to surf this one, when good N swells come through.
>>We have a complete guide to surfing Encuentro Beach right here
Coco (also called Coco Pipe)
The far east side of Encuentro Beach is where you can paddle out to meet Coco Pipe, by far the hollowest wave on this strip. It’s a corker when it gets rolling, which needs an early morning dip in the winds and a good N-NE swell direction with a decent amount of height and power.
That cocktail gives an A-frame reefy that offers a quick, sharp left for the edgy bottom turners out there and a longer right that’s regularly about tube rides for 2-4 seconds. Don’t come here if you’re not great at riding reefs – the urchins and rocks stare right back at ya!
Cabarete
The town of Cabarete is now considered one of the great windsurf meccas of the world.
You might think that doesn’t bode all that well for us sail-less surfers but it’s the summer trades that give it that rep. Winter sees the winds drop and swing around to come from the south (offshore) more often, helping turn this one into a potential surf spot in its own right.
The beach out front – known as Bozo – rarely works that well and is mainly for ripping up short wedges and gaining airs. Beach breaks run for miles to the west on less-protected reefs though the fine locations are a well-kept local secret.
Many will choose to stay in little Cabarete and move west to Encuentro.
>>Read our ultimate guide to Cabarete surfing right now!
Mañanero
Not all that much happens in Mañanero and the waves aren’t as good as on the western side of Cabarete. Still, it’s worth coming down here if there are big crowds in town, as there’s a half decent right and a shorter left that can be fast and airy at times. It requires and east swell here.
La Preciosa
If we had to pick out the top three quality breaks of the Dominican Republic, then the reef at La Preciosa would certainly be in there. Forming up on the outer reefs of this less-visited part of the northern coast, it can handle good size on the stronger winter swells, but also hoovers swell well in the off season of summer.
It’s often working and often empty to boot. What you get is a long, cruisy or cuttable shoulder that peels inwards for around 20 seconds or so. Paddles can be hard and the peak is shifty, which is why it’s experts only.
Watch for whales between December and March – they often swim by.
Las Terrenas
There’s plenty of surf over in Las Terrenas and it’s almost all on the more beginner end of the spectrum.
The star is probably Playa Coson, a long beach break run that has right peelers coming off the sandbanks at its eastern end and peak after peak after peak to get stuck into closer towards the center of the bay.
However, there are a handful of other breaks backing that up, most of which work best from mid fall to the start of spring – N swells are key.
>>Read our ultimate guide to Las Terrenas surfing right now!
Los Patos
The remoter south coast of the DR is fickler than the north, but it’s got its fair share of waves. The crème-de-la-crème down here is probably this long beach break, which points SW to get a little action from the main Atlantic.
When an E swell curls through, there are neat rows of rights that form on the sandbanks on the center of the bay. Some regional surf comps have even been held down here, so don’t go thinking the north reigns completely supreme.
When to surf in the Dominican Republic?
The Dominican Republic has surf all year round, but the most consistent conditions come during the winter (Nov-March), when stronger N swells are coming through the Atlantic.
Winter N swells are the peach in the Dominican Republic. They’re the conditions that will bring the biggest and the best days to the main north-shore surf points, from Encuentro down to Las Terrenas. They usually start in earnest around the fall in late September and get progressively bigger into January. Waves can vary a lot in this time, from chest-high peelers to hollow overheads that make pits at expert spots like Destroyers. Generally, though, it’s a time for intermediates and up.
Anyone who’s surfed in the DR will tell you that this is a genuine year-round destination. The summer doesn’t mean the end of waves. There are still good NE sets that come in between May and August, but they will be smaller. Plus, days are beset by strong winds and that means dawnies and evening surfs are the name of the game. We’d say leave the summer to the learners and beginners, when this island is just about perfecto.
Where to stay for surfing in the Dominican Republic?
White-sand beaches and whale-filled seas ensure that the DR remains a huge vacay hotspot. That means there’s no shortage of hotel options. But: Do your research!
Location is key, and some hotels are much better setup for surfers than others.
- El Encuentro Surf Lodge – We reckon this is the top surf hotel here in the DR. It’s perfectly located and offer surf tuition programs in partnership with Parallel Surf, a highly-rated school that’s right opposite the lodge. Book yourself a stay and then you can sort lessons and guided surfs beforehand by sending them a message.
- La Curadiña – Encuentro Surf Resort – This one is a VERY close second. Roll out of bed and into the waves on El Encuentro beach from this lux resort with eight suites and a lovely pool.
Surf camps in Dominican Republic
Given just how epic the series of reefs and sandbar waves are at Cabarete’s El Encuentro Beach, it’s hardly a surprise that’s where the best of the surf camps on the island are located.
Don’t expect the 100s of surf camp options here as you get in, say, Bali. There are just a few but, thankfully, the quality is pretty darn good across the board…
- Kite Beach Inn x Bobo Surf’s Up Surf School – A seriously intensive program of 14 private surf lessons run by none other than local legends Bobo Surf’s Up Surf School. You’ll stay in one of the oceanside condos right be Encuentro. It’s like a 4-week surf camp all packed into a fortnight.
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Surf lessons in the Dominican Republic
There’s a good, good chance that you’re reading this becuase you’ve booked a vacation to the DR and wondered about, maybe, adding some surfing to the itinerary. You’re not after a full-on surf camp, or a surf hotel right by the waves. You want just a quick 2-hour lesson to see if it’s for you.
The good news is that can be done eassssily. In fact, it can even be organized if you’re staying around Punta Cana, as most do…
- Punta Cana: One-on-One Surf Lesson on Macao Beach – A one-on-one session that’s a great surf taster for folks staying in the resorty area of Punta Cana. It won’t be anything mega hard or immersive since it’s the wrong part of the island, but waves can be fun and the teaching is great.
- Eco-Surfing Dominicana 3-Hour Surf Sessions – Uber-fun lessons run by the lovely Eric Franco and Angel Compres. This one’s great for kids and is good bang for buck, including two separate lessons and an intro to the El Encuentro area.
Where is the Dominican Republic?
The Dominican Republic has one foot in the Atlantic Ocean and the other in the Caribbean Sea.
The country lays claim to the eastern half of Hispaniola Island (the other is given to Haiti) and has coasts on the north and the south that are good for surfing.
Getting here is actually pretty darn easy – it’s one of the most popular snowbird escapes for US travelers and a major spring break destination to boot.
The island’s capital in Santo Domingo has the bulk of the flight connections and the biggest airport but it’s 3-4 hours’ drive or transfer from the north coast surf breaks around Cabarete. The better option is to fly into Puerto Plata (POP), which now hosts arrivals from US East Coast, Canada, and some major hubs in Europe, such as Frankfurt. The airport there is no more than 20 minutes from DR’s surf coast.
the capital, but you can also jet into Punta Cana (not great for surfing, but perfect if you want uber-swish honeymoon hotels!).
Lots of people choose to rent a car in the DR. We’ll say this: It’s not the most relaxing driving you’ll do abroad. But you will get used to it and it will give you the freedom to really explore (this isle has mountains, idyllic beaches, and multiple surf spots).
If you do choose to rent, check out DiscoverCars – they’ve been cheap go-tos for me in the last 3-4 years.
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!
