San Bartolo

Edit Spot

About

A really fun wave on small swell, with both a left-right peak in the middle of the bay and a small left 'reef' wave on the left (south) side of the bay. If this isn't doing it for you, try the meaty right-point break (Penascal - Experts only) on the northern headland.

Atmosphere:
Very friendly spot, with none of the 'hard-core' attitude found elsewhere. When crowded on weekends in summer this is less true! Surfers here all year.

Additional Info:
The temperature data should be used carefully as this coast is subject to warm and cold currents at different times of the year, and on different years... remember El Nino?

Location

Access

Drive to about 53km on the Panamerican Highway, San Bartolo is well signed. Once in the area, head north on any of the small roads in the town to 'Playa Norte', because the main bay of San Bartolo 'playa sur' doesn't get many waves. You can daytrip from Lima or stopover, plenty of rooms to rent. Buses 16 & 18 from anywhere on Pan-Americana take you to the centre of San Bartolo for 4 soles, then a moto for 1 sole to the playa norte(where I live)

Walk	Instant access (<5 min)
Public access	Yes
4x4 required	Unknown
Boat required	Unknown

Wave Characteristics

Type	Beach break
Direction	Right and left
Bottom	Boulders
Power	Ordinary, Fun
Frequency	Very consistent (150+ days/year)
Normal length	Short (<50m)
Good day length	Normal (50 to 150m)

Ideal Conditions

Wind direction	NorthWest, West, SouthWest
Swell direction	NorthWest, West, SouthWest
Swell size	3ft-5ft - 10ft+
Tide	Mid and high tide
Tide movement	Rising and falling tides