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El
SALVADOR
Surfers are constantly in search of new adventure,
uncharted coastline, warm waters, consistent swells,
and uncrowded line-ups. El Salvador offersall
of these things, but anyone who travels to this
tiny, Central American country will soon realize
that the waves are uncrowded for a reason.
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El Salvador the tube is the safest place
to be. |
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When
we arrived we made friends with the only other
gringos at the airport — two Midwest girls
who were volunteering for the Peace Corps. They
had been in El Salvador for over six months and
flatly informed us that during our visit we could
expect to be robbed by gun or knife and get diarrhea
from the food/water. This wasn’t the reassurance
we were hoping for. Booking a trip to ES raised
a few eyebrows with friends and family with reactions
ranging from "Are you insane?" (Family)
to "Should be good waves" (Friends).
It turns out that friends and family were both
right. Not to sound cliché but El Salvador
is a land of contrasts. The country is filled
with natural beauty and tremendous poverty. The
people and country have been getting kicked around
between a 12 year civil war, Hurricane Mitch,
a devastating Earthquake, and record drought this
year. Considering half of the population lives
below the poverty line the people are guarded,
suspicious and armed (the wealthier have guns,
the poor carry big machetes).
When considering El Salvador as a surf trip destination
one must consider the pros and cons:
Pros: Surf, Cost
Cons: Safety, Food, Nightlife
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| No
crowd!!! |
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Pros:
SURF — El Salvador may be the smallest country
in Central America (about the size of Connecticut)
but has miles of south-facing coastline that seems
designed for surf. Numerous world-class point
breaks dot the coast but most surfers congregate
to those closest to the capital city San Salvador.
The most striking part of the breaks was not the
shape or consistency (both great) but the lack
of crowds. At the peak hour (8:00 AM) there were
less than 15 guys in the water and by 9:00 it
was often just me and my friends. There are a
handul of local surfers who are aggressive and
try to dominate the peak and a few aggro spongers,
but compared to So Cal it's more like a ghost
town. After a solid morning session we would paddle
out (wind normally isn’t a factor) to have
the point to ourselves. We’d ask ourselves
"How many surfers would be out on 4’-6’
Rincon? 100? Here we are all by our lonesome letting
perfect 4’ rights roll by because they aren’t
set waves." Of course now that we are home,
fighting over 2’ slop in the South Bay we
are kicking ourselves for letting any of those
waves pass by unridden.
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| Armed
and dangerous |
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First
let me preface this segment by not only recommending,
but insisting you see El Salvador under the care
of a professional guide. Our group never came
into harms way, but if you're stupid or careless
there is serious danger around every corner. On
our adventure we surfed only 3 breaks. The first
being Los Flores, which is just North of a small
town called El Cuco. Although considered a point
break the bottom is mostly sand and the wave is
very forgiving. This spot works best on a low
tide and can dish up some long, fun right handers.
If you're not on it early, be advised, you will
be overrun by a small army of El Salvadorian Groms.
While they are nice, affable kids, they become
annoying surprisingly fast. I recommend taking
a panga (from the beach at Los Flores) to Punta
Mango, which is a 20 minute boat ride to the North.
This secluded spot offers up a much higher quality
wave that reels across a cobblestone reef (much
like San Miguel, North of Ensenada). This wave
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bucks for eggs and beer after a good sesh |
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is
steeper and faster than Los Flores and offers
up some barrel opportunities if you're looking
for them. We surfed there 3 days in a row and
on the most crowded day, there were 7 of us out
there. Mind you there were 5 of us on the boat.
We scored perfect wave after perfect wave, uncontested,
unmolested and the water was 85 degrees. It really
seemed like heaven on earth.
Lastly we voted to go check out La Libertad (The
famous point that was filmed in Big Wednesday)
and stay there for the last 5 days of our trip.
The drive from Las Flores to Libertad is about
3 1/2 hours and well worth the haul. Upon arrival
you feel as if you've reached some sort civilized
world again (even though it's a 3rd world). Upon
reaching the point there are several restaurants
and hotels to choose from. The wave itself was
phenomenal. Every day was glassy, overhead, hollow
and absolutely perfect. The crowds were never
even a factor, in fact on several occasions guys
from our group would get 2 hour, afternoon solo
sessions. We're talking a world class point break
all to yourself. I can't promise the same for
everyone but if you watch the point all day a
window of uncrowded opportunity will most likely
arise. Logging 6 hours or more of water time was
commonplace. Afterward cold cervesa's and a big
meal at Bob's were on tap. There is no night life
so enjoy your day and party with your bros at
night. Definitely bring a couple of good books
with you. If you are a hardcore surfer, this trip
is for you. Hook up with your buddies and set
up a trip but leave the wife and kids in the states.
COST
— The most expensive part of a trip to El
Salvador is the plane flight. For those considering
a trip to This is a common scenario on the roads
of El Salvador ES I’d recommend hiring a
guide. There are many advantages to a guide service:
* They take care of transportation (from airport
pick up to drop off)
* They know the different breaks and when they’ll
be best
* They speak the language and know the locals
* They can handle your lodging needs
The disadvantages of a surf guide are that they
cost $ (although not much) and it means you’ll
have another surfer in the line up (hopefully
not a wave hog).
As for companies offering surf guides Elporto.com
highly recommends using the newly founded Punta
Roca tours which is run by an American named Bob
Rotherman. Bob has owned and operated Punat Roca
restaurant/ hotel for 30 years now and aside from
being a solid, honest guy is an accomplished surfer
and knows El Salvador like the back of his hand.
Contact Bob if you're interested in booking a
trip. He'll put you on the waves and protect you
like a mother hen. We've been there and are sincere
when we say this guy is the best!
contact Punta Roca
CONS:
Safety — On any surf trip be it Mexico,
Indonesia or Central America it pays to be cautious
and keep a low profile. ES is no exception and
not a good place to bring the wife & family
or for getting hammered and acting reckless. There
is no room for the ugly American here,
The NRA would love El Salvador because every hotel,
store, bar, restaurant, bank*, etc, is guarded
by a shotgun or M16 wielding hombre. As one surfer
in our group noticed on the first day "Everyone
in this country is packing!" They are armed
for a reason, robbery and theft are common everywhere
we visited. La Libertad has the added hazzard
of the best local surfers who have traded in their
boards for crack pipes and now harass/rob surfers
on their way to the main break.
As in any third world country the greatest safety
risk can be found on the roads. Everyone in ES
drives faster than they should, passes on hills
and blind curves, and no one wears a seat belt.
Add to this the fact that almost every road is
two-lane and the road is used for every type of
transportation: cars, trucks, carts (horse and
human drawn), pedestrians, dogs, and large groups
of cattle. Somehow our driver managed to keep
us accident-free despite the mandatory beers before/during
and after driving.
*Expect a pat-down search before entering banks
FOOD
— Don’t plan to dine on Double-Doubles
or burritos in ES. Depending on which surf spot
you are staying at, your dinner options may be
limited to the hotel restaurant or whatever energy
bars you brought with you from the US. The most
common national dish is "pupusas" which
resemble two very thick tortillas enclosed over
a mixture of beans, cheese and meat (usually pork)
and fried. Our two culinary recommendations are:
1. Punta Roca (La Libertad) — This water-front
restaurant is run by an American (Bob) and his
son Jimmy. Not only do they offer the best view
of the right bay break, they serve great food
at surfer prices. There is a long list of food
a surfer to El Salvador should avoid, (shellfish,
lettuce, cabbage, and most of all the water) but
we felt safe eating everything at Bob’s.
2. Sonja — This mother of many ninos cooks
at the south end of Playa Los Flores from her
shack/home on the beach. Her beans, eggs, rice
and tortillas breakfasts were heaven after a three-hour
surf session (and only $2 per plate).
Overall we ate well but cautiously. A fellow surfer
from another group tried the oysters and spent
two days surfing the porcelain throne.
NIGHTLIFE — San Salvador is the only nightlife
you’ll see and only with a guide. If you
value your wallet and health you won’t go
out after dark and most of the surf spots don’t
have bars or discotechas anyway. Gringos are known
to visit San Salvador’s cultural center
"Lips." Imagine the Jet-Strip silicone-free
on a discount price night.
Bottom line — In a way El Salvador’s
greatest weaknesses are its greatest strengths.
If El Salvador was as safe to visit as Salt Lake
City it would be overrun with surfers from FLA,
TX, NC, and of course CA. Because there are only
a handful of accessible surf spots and they are
all point breaks — the country can’t
handle a large crowd of surfers. Playa Hermosa
in Costa Rica (a beachbreak can probably handle
more surfers than all of the main breaks in El
Salvador combined. From everything we experienced,
our guess is it will take years before this pristine
surf locale will be at risk of overcrowding by
gringo surfers. This country will remain a semi-secret
for those surfers willing to deal with sketchy
security for quality point break surf. El Salvador
has some great surf for those willing to deal
with the negatives listed above.
Essentials to bring:
Sunscreen — Lots of it, the sun is very
strong and your surfing won’t be limited
to dawn patrols. I’d also pack a rash guard
and possibly a water-hat for those who like three
session days.
ReefWalkers — They may give you a weird
feel on the board and make you look like a dork
but they’ll save you feet from many barnacle-encrusted
rock walks in and out of the surf.
Playing cards & tunebox — Your non-surf
hours will be spent napping, eating and drinking
in your hotel room. Its good to have something
to break up the boredom.
Candy and surf stickers — Ninos are everywhere
and its good karma to make them happy. Bring a
bag of Starbursts or something that is easy to
hand out and won’t melt.
Story by Eric Rasmussen and Mike Durand
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