Champerico
Edit SpotAbout
A capital place to spend a vacation and a really fun place to surf. Just don't loose your shorts, I almost did.
Atmosphere:
Holy shnikys might be closest to it. When my buddy and I got there, we had a guy trying to convince us to eat at one Ranchito and another guy trying to get us to eat at the one next to it. We finally chose one and they showed us where to could change and leave our stuff. They also showed us nice cheep places to stay.
This place is actually a fairly big town full of nice people. There are a couple of fishing equipement stors that recently stared carrying surf gear. You will find whatever you need there.
You can pull up a chair at on of the ranchitos at about 6pm and wait for an incredible sunset. Suposidly, surfing is starting to be a big interest for lots of kids there ever since the little surf shops opened. When kids see you with a board they come up to you and ask to check out your board. most of them are learning on their own.
If you go, visit one of the shops and if possible buy a Champe surf shirt or something to give them some support. They will always be welcoming and treat you as an old friend.
I LOVED the milk shakes too.
Additional Info:
When you get off of the bus in Champe just go strait on the main street and you won't miss it, in fact just listen and you'll find it. You'll see abunch of little "ranchitos" (small beach restaurants with palm-roof decks facing the beach) all along the beach front. If you brought a car you can park it by the little ranchito where you will be eating (a decent meal will only cost you about 40 Quetzales{less than 5 US Dollars}).
Be sure to get there early(6or7am)to catch the best waves. At about 3pm waves start to get a little rough and choppy, and sometimes depending on the weather, there might be some undertoe.
Location
Loading...Access
You can start out by taking a bus from Guatemala City to Retahuleu (which might go all the way to Puetro Champerico but if it doesn't just say "Champe!" to a bus worker and he'll gladly show you the bus you need to get on). It should take about 5 hrs but it'll be well worth the trip.
| Walk | Instant access (<5 min) |
|---|---|
| Public access | Yes |
| 4x4 required | Unknown |
| Boat required | Unknown |
Wave Characteristics
| Type | Don't know |
|---|---|
| Direction | Right and left |
| Bottom | Sandy |
| Power | Hollow, Fast, Fun |
| Frequency | Don't know |
| Normal length | Normal (50 to 150m) |
| Good day length | Long (150 to 300m) |
Ideal Conditions
| Wind direction | SouthWest, NorthEast |
|---|---|
| Swell direction | West, East |
| Swell size | 3ft-5ft - 12ft |
| Tide | Don't know |
| Tide movement | Don't know |
Crowd
| Week | Empty |
|---|---|
| Weekend | Few surfers |
Dangers
None
Videos
None