Surf

There are two main islands you can go surfing from in the Galapagos , San Cristobal which is the most popular amongst surfers and Santa Cruz which is not so popular but still good waves, the reason? San Cristobal is cheaper because you can walk to the beach ,in Santa Cruz there is Tortuga Bay beach which during south swell season you can walk too, for bigger and better waves you must rent a small boat and hire a certified guide to take you there. In any case on both islands you can have good waves , the most popular wave in Galapagos is Punta Carola in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, this is a north right wave where at the right time of the year can be a good 12 footer, but of course there are places for intermediate surfers and on both islands you can for sure take lessons and start learning.

There are a few surf shops that offer lessons which start at around $90 , but it gets cheaper if you are more than one person , you can also rent surf boards or long boards, if you want to bring your own we recommend to check with the airline first and ask about restrictions or prices for the transportation, at the moment there are no surf cruises available.

Seasons determine the swell , the north swell in Galapagos is during the warm season which goes from November to May approximately, during this time of the year we get the northern trade winds and also the warm waters from the north (Central America) so is very comfortable to be in the water , during this season we recommend to go surfing in San Cristobal where the famous Punta Carola is ,considered one of the best places to surf in the islands and walking distance from town, a right hander , rocky bottom and long wall.

Another good north swell is Manglecito, a beautiful paradise looking beach this wave is about 15 miles from town and the only way to get there is by boat, about an hour, this is a perfect left also rocky bottom which is common in this volcanic islands, hard core 6 footer where is pretty common that sea lions join you in the water.

An alternative wave to surf in the bay is El Canon , 5 minutes from town , left hand, long wall and about 6 foot.

The south swell in Galapagos show up during the cooler part of the year, the cold season gos from June to November when the sout eastern winds bring the colder waters from the south also known as the Humboldt current. There are south swells in both islands so you can either go surfing from San Cristobal and Santa Cruz, a good place to catch a good south swell in San Cristobal is La Loberia, located 10 minutes from town you can take one of the local taxis that charge a couple of bucks and you are there, the interesting part of this point break is that you get both right and left, the right is a perfect A frame shape wave and goes up to 6 foot.

In Santa Cruz there is Tortuga Bay , a beautiful white sand beach, good for beginners and intermediate surfers a right hander up to 6 feet with good conditions , otherwise is normally 3.A one hour boat ride takes you to Cerro Gallina with a 6 foot left hander with incredible views, to get here you need a special permit and an organized tour.