Jamaica surfing has been around for a while. It might not be the DR, but there are some fun waves here and an even more fun nascent surf culture.
An introduction to Jamaica surfing
Zingy jerk, reggae, and the talcum-colored strands of Negril are the things that usually bring the crowds to Jamaica. But the island has been drawing the eye of casual surfers in recent years with the promise of year-round windswells powered by the almost-ceaseless NE trades that blow through the strait between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic to the north.
Don’t go thinking that the waves here can match those aforementioned surf meccas of the Caribbean. They can’t. Largely sloppy and crumbly, Jamaica’s sets are firmly on the beginner end of the spectrum. They can get hollow and fast some days in the year, but it’s no Rincon. Most of the top spots cluster around the less-trodden eastern coast, mixing sand-bottomed shore breaks with the occasional reef break.
On the plus side, Jamaica is a downright gorgeous place to take to the water. Five-star hotel complexes offer pools gazing over the Caribbean Sea. You’ll spend evenings bumping in jazz bars in Kingston. You’ll crank up the R&R gauge to levels unknown before. Just be ready to compromise on surf quality to get those things.
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
Jamaica surfing at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to Jamaica surfing?
Where is Jamaica?
Jamaica is often said to be right in the heart of the Caribbean Sea. It lies behind the curve of islands that make up the Greater and Lesser Antilles. That’s not actually great for the surfing because it means there are big swell shadows cast by land masses to the north, cutting out all those decent midwinter pulses that other locales in the region enjoy.
The third-largest island in the Caribbean Sea, Jamaica has two main airports: One in Montego Bay in the north, the other in Kingston in the south. For surfers, Kingston is the better arrival point, since it offers good access to the more reliable beaches on the eastern coast.
A guide to the Jamaica surf spots
Most of the best breaks in Jamaica are on the south and east coasts of the island. Beginners should look more to the north, where the beaches are better protected from trade winds and give smaller learner conditions more regularly.
Lighthouse
Jet into the Northern Manley International Airport and you’ll see the spot at Lighthouse waiting just south of the runways – see, Bali isn’t the only island where the surf viewing starts before you even leave the plane! Highly consistent but unruly, the spot is sometimes clean left-to-right reef breaks, sometimes mushy mess. The main downside are the reef sharks that give us the heebie-jeebies.
Zoo
Zoo was once held in very high esteem by the local Jamaican rippers, who saw the spot as the incubator of high-performance shortboarding on the island. Sadly, Hurricane Ivan ripped through the reef that made the wave in 2004. It’s recovering now but still remains a shadow of the right barrel it once was. Today, it’s more of a gurgling longboarder wave and still not even that fun.
Bull Bay/Copa Bay
Pro surfer-skater-artists Elishama “Shama” Beckford hails in from Copa, a spot that’s famed as the OG of Jamaican surf locations. On the eastern fringes of Kingston and facing south, it’s also now the stomping ground of legendary local surf pioneer and activist Billy “Mystic” Wilmot. Okay, enough epithets. Onto the spot…
A right reef here hooks some of the northern windswells into some neat and hollow wedges that are some of the harder and higher-quality breaks on the island. There’s also a right-left peeler that rises on the cobbled seabed in front of the Scarlett Guest House. Any number of peaks then break down Wackie Beach to the west, which is where you’re likely to head on a surf camp.
Talking of surf camps – Bull Bay hosts Jamnesia, the first and finest inclusive surf school on the island.
Makka
Makka Beach, or just Makka for short, is now the home of the island’s most prestigious yearly surfing comp: The Makka Pro. It’s the most swell-sucking beach of the whole bunch, with consistency to beat Boston and Bull Bay alike. When it’s working and there’s decent power in the swell, you can find barreling right handers that bowl beautifully off the main point and over the reef. It can be shallow and there are more urchins in town than jerk stalls, so be careful.
Outback
A whole stretch of surfable coastline in Long Bay, one of the main beaches in the Portland area, hits a zenith at Outback. The wave is beefy and strong, with rippable walls over shallow reef that lend themselves most to the intermediate and up crowd. It’s never busy here but can be a chore to reach.
Boston Bay
When people talk about surfing in Boston Bay, what they really mean is that they’re headed to Lynches Bay. That’s a small, horseshoe inlet about 5km up the coast from Boston proper. The size and shape of it reminds us a little of Hiriketiya in Sri Lanka, but the swells are nowhere near as reliable as that. Instead, you’ll be left waiting for the rare NW winter pushes that make their way through the gap between islands further to the north. They’re not common but they do represent some of the few true groundswell conditions that Jamaica gets, and the waves are long, peeling rights off the far headland to match. There’s also a left-hander on the western side of Lynches Bay. When working, it’s steeper and more fun, good for shortboard turns and hotdogging. Boston Bay is now established as the learn-to-surf hub of Jamaica, so come here to get cheap rentals and the best tuition around.
TOAD
There’s another spot somewhere hidden on the Jamaica north coast that’s not for mere mortals. Called TOAD for Take Off And Die, it’s Jamaica’s only XXL break, rarely works, and should not be messed with.
Where to stay when surfing in Jamaica?
We think most surfers who are serious about filling their Jamaican holiday with waves only really have one option: Jamnesia. But there are some guesthouses close to the breaks here that could be a good alternative options…
Jamnesia
There’s no question about it: If you’re serious about surfing in Jamaica then you HAVE to stay at Jamnesia. The first and only fully fledged surf camp on the island, it’s run by local legends the Wilmot family (a crew who are almost single handedly responsible for promoting surfing in the land of jerk). Packages here are affordable and great fun. They include surf gear, airport pickups, and pro surf tuition. It can’t be beaten.
Scarlett Guest House
Scarlett Guest House sits plum in front of one of two main reef breaks down in Bull Bay. That means you’ll be able to walk to some of the premier spots on the island. It also means you’ll be within walking distance of Jamnesia for those rentals and lessons. The hotel itself is pretty neat, with a small pool and balconies that overlook the Caribbean.
Pimento Lodge Resort
Highly-rated Pimento Lodge Resort gets you up on the north coast between Long Bay and Boston Bay. The upshot? There are two or three very reliable surf spots within easy reach from the door of the establishment. We also love this place. It’s got kitschy Caribbean vibes and lush tropical gardens that hide an 8-shaped pool.
Step-by-step guide to planning your [yoast_kw] trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the [yoast_kw]…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 four: Enjoy!
When to surf in Jamaica?
Unlike other Caribbean surf mainstays, Jamaica doesn’t rely so much on the winter N-NE-NW swells to fire up those breaks. They don’t really come through anyhow because Hispaniola, Cuba, and Puerto Rico are in the way. In the land of jerk, it’s all about windswell created by the NE trades. They blow hardest in summer but give the best surf either side of that, in spring and September, when they aren’t so strong they blow the whole place out.
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!
