Puerto Rico is a cracking surf spot, with right-hand peelers on reefs that can rival any in Southeast Asia or Central America. Rincon made it famous, but there’s also loads more…
An introduction to surfing in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is the golden boy of the Caribbean when it comes to surf. An unincorporated territory of the USA, it’s long been seen as the playground for East Coasters looking to snowbird out of their eyebrow-freezing nor’easterner swells to something more worthy of the rash vest and bikinis. So here it is: Warm water all year, good, strong swell showings from the north channel, and some seriously high-quality breaks to rival even what SoCal can muster. What’s not to love?
Barrels and beach breaks abound on the northwestern coast of the isle. It’s there that legendary names like Rincon pop up, fizzing rifle-like lanes across gorgeous bays threaded with low-lying coconut palms. There’s decent surf all along that part of the island, basically until you get to the fringes of happening San Juan, the capital. Kegs are chased in big winter swells. But there are crumbly leg warmers for the beginners when the summer trades blow, too.
Cap all that off with an island that’s positively chilled to the T. Beach hotels with pools by the Caribbean Sea mingle with fish-fry shacks selling jerk and rum punches. Ah, it’s heaven. Plus, you’ve got the UNESCO history of old San Juan, one of the most historic towns in the Americas!
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!
Surfing in Puerto Rico at a glance
The good
- Barrelling right handers you’ll love
- Stunning beaches and sunsets
- Very chilled surf vibes
The bad
- Not great for beginners
- Blustery in the summer
- Sharp reefs
What’s in this guide to surfing in Puerto Rico?
- An introduction to Puerto Rico surf
- Where is Puerto Rico?
- The top Puerto Rico surf spots
- Surf hotels and surf camps in Puerto Rico
- When to surf in Puerto Rico?
Where is Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico is smack dab in the middle of the Great Antilles islands of the western Caribbean. To the west, the Dominican Republic heralds the start of the island of Hispaniola. To the east, the sailing mecca of the United States Virgin Islands takes over with its mangrove-fringed bays of pure, white sand.
Getting to Puerto Rico is made pretty darn easy by the abundance of flights that jet over from mainstay North American cities. There are tons of them in months like February and March because this is a big spring-break hub, but plenty to go around in other seasons too. They’ll most often drop you at the airport in Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) on the western side of San Juan, from where it’s about two hours’ driving to the premier surf breaks.
A guide to the Puerto Rico surf spots
The mainstay region for surfing in Puerto Rico is the far west and the north coast of the island. Those are the places that are well-placed to get the main action in the northern swell channels come the winter. We’ll focus on those here, along with any other mainstay surf locales in this unincorporated US territory…
Rincon
All hail Rincon – the de facto surf capital of the Caribbean. In just under six miles of seriously gorgeous shoreline on the far north-western tip of Puerto Rico, this little municipality manages to pack in some of the world’s very best tropical breaks. The likes of Dogman’s and Domes take care of intermediate surfers. There are more mellowed breaks at Sandy Beach and Maria’s. And then there are the beefcakes of Tres Palmas, a break that could well be called the Caribbean’s answer to Nazare. That ticks just about all levels for all surfers, only you get the lot in a truly stunning part of the island that’s laced with pristine beaches and lovely surf shacks. Sounds perfect, eh?
Aguadilla/Bridges
Aguadilla isn’t Rincon. They’re close. But we’ll stress: It IS NOT Rincon. This town of expat bars and mundane strip malls and manicured golf courses attracting Merc drivers. It actually rose out of the nearby air force base, not the surf scene. Since then, some great spots have been discovered in the region. We’ll continue to list them below, because most are actually distinct locations north of the town centre.
There is one beach within reach of the city, though: Bridges. A hotdogger’s paradise, this one usually manages lips and wedges that are fun for ripping on. Despite usually being small and having a dubious water-quality rating, it’s actually hard not to like the spot.
Crash Boat
The best surf beach in the Aguadilla region, Crash Boat is a south-west facing opening in the shoreline jungle. It’s made unique by the presence of a huge pier right in the middle. That can sometimes channel nice NE swells into something akin to Huntington Beach – think sucky rights that froth out to the edges of the bay. It’s kind of a hard wave and very shifty. We’d recommend it to experienced surfers and tray riders.
Wilderness
Wilderness is a bit more like a Rincon classic up in Aguadilla. Sometimes heavy, sometimes cruisy, it flits this way and that with the ebb and flow of the strong winter swells. You should know that the reef here is VERY shallow and sharp. It’s taken many a pound of flesh in its time. On the upside, the remoteness of the spot means it’s often empty for dawnie sessions, and there’s a surrounding park with some historic ruins to see.
Surfer’s Beach
The beach that gets the moniker is probably the one that deserves it most. We’d say Surfer’s Beach is the most consistent spot in Aguadilla. That’s down to the orientation – it looks north to get the full hit of the winter N swells. The point at the eastern end of the bay actually bends the waves inwards a touch before they start breaking, too, which means the E trades can be a touch offshore. It varies here from big (when it’s a hard wave) to very small (when it’s suited to beginners). The rights are the best.
Jobos
Jobos is now probably established as the go-to surf town on the northern shore of Puerto Rico. It’s closer to San Juan than both Rincon and Aguadilla, so can draw some crowds. But it’s the break that should do the talking because it’s pretty darn fantastic. Reminding us a touch of the bendy rights that cruise into Zurriola Beach in San Sebastian, the sets here hit a long headland to the north and proceed to cruise all the way into the main beachfront. They can give nice long rides of over 200m when working best. The local rippers know where to go to hoover up all the action – you’ll see them clustering by the main point. Traveling surfers are usually left to chase the run-through scraps.
Montones
Further along the north coast in the direction of San Juan, Montones is mainly reserved for kite surfers who hit the water when the summer trades start firing. It’s got some nice beaches, but is too sheltered to pick up worthwhile sets in the wintertime.
Where to stay when surfing in Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico represents a great escape from the icy North American winters and it has for decades. You’ll notice that the palm-fringed sands of the surf bays here come backed by some excellent resorts and villas that are great for a surf adventure. Let’s take a look…
Coconut Palms Inn
If you’re after an authentic slice of vintage Puerto Rican surf culture, Coconut Palms Inn has you covered. It’s been a mainstay on the Rincon strip for some years. Zingy rooms with Cairbbean colors spill onto breezy balconies where you can watch the sunsets blaze across the Atlantic. It’s nothing fancy but therein lies the charm. Close to lots of breaks.
Cozy apartment with 8 minute walk to beach
Dodge the big crowds of Rincon and make for this cozy little bolt hole in Aguadilla. It’s very well kept and just a short stroll from the waves of Crash Boat, one of the best spots in the area. You get a fully fitted kitchen and even a small al fresco porch to chill in.
Punta Borinquen Resort
The uber-new Punta Borinquen Resort offers contemporary rooms on the hill just above Surfer’s Beach. It has an on-site restaurant serving Tex-Mex and surf-turf dishes, along with a big pool. The whole scene is pretty quiet and away from it all, but the surf is right there on the doorstep.
Step-by-step guide to planning your surfing in puerto rico trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the surfing in puerto rico…We use Skyscanner and only Skyscanner for this. The reason? We’ve always found it the best site for comparing deals from basically ALL airlines and somehow seems to offer deals that beat going direct.
Step two: Book your surf lodge. There’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check how close EXACTLY that hotel is to particular breaks. Or Book Surf Camps, which is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages.
Step three: Book surf lessons and other activities For advance booking, you can use GetYourGuide or Viator. To be fair, though, we usually just leave this until we’re there – it’s easy to book in person in most surf destinations.
When to surf in Puerto Rico?
Winter is the best time to surf in Puerto Rico. Strong NW-W-NE swells dominate from the depths of the upper Atlantic from around November time, sending big groundswells into the reefs of Rincon and the north-facing beaches of Aguadilla. They are the engine to the XL breaks and the big tubes that make this such a famous destination. They’re not consistent though, so you do get a variation in set size from overhead to under-knee, meaning there are good sessions for learners to be had at this time.
Summer isn’t great. Blustery E trade winds can play havoc with the whole setup of the north shore, messing it to pieces. Rincon is more immune since they are offshore then, but there’s not too much to blow on when the swells disperse.
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!
