Surfing in Cabo: How to Pick the Right Breaks for Your Level

Surfing in Cabo confuses people because there are two coasts and they do not work at the same time. The tip of the peninsula, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez, is not where you surf. You drive a little in one direction or the other, and which direction depends on the month and on how good you are. We surf here year round, so here is the honest version: how to read the two coasts, how to match a break to your level, and what to expect from a lesson.

Two coasts, two seasons

The Corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo faces south. It catches swell in the summer months, roughly May through October, when the water is warm and the mornings are glassy. The Pacific side, up toward Pescadero and Todos Santos, faces west. It picks up the bigger winter swells from November through April, when the water is cooler and the waves have more push. So if you are here in the winter, you go to the Pacific side. If you are here in the summer, you stay on the Corridor. Either way, an early start beats the wind.

Beginner: sand-bottom beach breaks

You want a beach break with a sandy bottom, a slow rolling wave and a long paddle-free shoulder where you can stand up and ride straight. Whitewater is your friend for the first two or three sessions. Do not go where the locals are pulling into anything hollow. A good surf school will pick the beach for the day based on the swell and the tide, and it will put you on a soft-top board, which is bigger and more forgiving than anything you would rent for yourself. Ask the school where they are taking you and why. The answer tells you how much they know.

Intermediate: points and reefs in summer, Pacific beaches in winter

If you can paddle out on your own, catch an unbroken wave and turn, you are ready for the Corridor's point and reef setups in summer, and for the mellower Pacific beach breaks in winter. Rent a board a step shorter than your beginner board and go at first light. Sit slightly inside the main pack, take the waves the better surfers let go, and you will get plenty. Watch the rocks on the reef setups at low tide.

Advanced: the Pacific in winter

Winter on the Pacific side is your season. The swells are bigger, the beach breaks close out fast, and the current can move you a long way down the beach before you notice. Surf with a partner, check the tide, and treat the shore break with respect. In summer, the best Corridor days come with the south swells, and the lineups get crowded on the good ones. Be early and be polite.

What a surf lesson looks like

A lesson starts on the sand, where you learn to pop up. The rest is in the water with the instructor pushing you into waves and coaching you on timing. Board, leash and a rash guard are normally included. Private lessons move faster because the instructor is watching only you. Group lessons are cheaper and more fun if you are travelling with friends. Either way, book the early slot. The wind picks up by late morning on both coasts and a choppy wave is harder to learn on.

What to bring

• Reef-safe sunscreen, and a lot of it. The sun here reflects off the water and the sand.
• A rash guard or a light wetsuit top. The Sea of Cortez side is warm in summer. The Pacific in winter is not, and a thin wetsuit makes a long session possible.
• Water and a snack. Beach setups near Pescadero and on the Corridor can be a long way from a shop.
• Cash in pesos for board rentals, a beach lunch and tips for your instructor.
• Nothing valuable visible in the car. Leave the good watch at home.

When to go

November through April is the comfortable season, with clear skies and air temperatures in the 75 to 85 degree range, and it is when most visitors are here. It is also when the Pacific side turns on. June through September is hotter and more humid, and there is a chance of tropical storms, but it is when the Corridor works and the water is at its warmest. For a first lesson, either season is fine, because the school will take you where the wave is small that day. For a proper surf trip, pick your coast first and your month second.

Before you go

Check the forecast the night before, ask a local which coast is working, and drive out early. If the ocean is flat, Cabo is also a good place to try scuba for the first time, since the beginner dive sites at Pelican Rock and Land's End sit right off the marina, and a discover dive runs about three hours.

Pacific side in winter, Corridor in summer, lesson at first light. Browse everything else we do on the water on our adventures in Cabo page.