Surfing Dominican Republic

Surfing Dominican Republic

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"The Dominican Republic is a very popular wind and kite surf destination, it's not very well know for it's surfing, because most attention is on the neighboring island of Puerto Rico. The same swells that create big waves there also hit the Dominican Republic in wintertime (as well as other times during the year) creating waves of up to 15'"

Getting there:
Access is by plane into Puerto Plata (POP), Punta Cana, Santiago or Santa Domingo. If you are staying on the north cost than Puerto Plata is the easiest.

Travel:
The roads are pretty poor standard, lots of potholes and accidents are common so be carefully when renting your own car. There's busses and local mini vans, although they sometimes have to be shared with 25 other folks (they can normally fit 10!). Very cheap and advisable for the fun of it.

 

Language:
Spanish is the language spoken here, but in most major tourists towns the locals will understand some english.

Season:
Best surfing season is in wintertime (November to March) when the biggest swells hit the islands and the wind is less strong than in the summer time. Hurricanes happen mostly in September

Cost of living:
Very cheap, good accommodation can be had for 10-15 US Dollars per night, a beer will cost you 1 US and a meal around 3-4.

What to take:
Rash vest is sufficient year round. In the summer a normal short board will suffice or a long board to maximize the wave count at Encuentro, for wintertime bring a mini gun of around 7' as well as your regular short board

Positive -Good breaks -Empty offshore reefs -Friendly people -Reasonably cheap -Flat day entertainment

Negative: -Stomach problems from the food -Hurricanes -Road rage

 

Surfing in the Dominican Republic in short:

For a detailed listing of the spots go to this page>>

Surfing in the Dominican Republic can be done on both the south and north coast, since I have only surfed the North coast I will only discuss some north coast spots here.

One of the best places to stay if you want to surfing some North coast spots is the wind and kite surf town of Cabarete which is what I did.

 

 

It's a happening tourist town with good accommodation, nightlife (LAX, Bamboo's and Ono's) and also some quality beach side restaurants.

As mentioned before, the best season is the wintertime when North swells hit the coast. I stayed in Cabarete in summertime, didn't bring my board, since I didn't expect to do a lot of surfing. In fact 4 to 5 day out of the week generally had some ride able surf, varying from 2' to 5'

The place I, and most others surf the most is a spot called Encuentro, a mellow (in summertime) reef break.

The reef is flat and forgiving, the sea urchins aren't, so if you are a beginner and are walking in the white water it's definitely wise to bring some booties, or rent them at one of the local surf schools at the beach.

Encuentro start breaking at 2' and is a mostly right hander although the shorts lefts can be fun as well it can hold waves of up to 10' .

Left of Encuentro is another wave, a short and sucky lefthander that breaks in very shallow water, short boards and expert surfers only. And a bit further left is a spot called Destroyer, which has the same characteristics.

East of Cabarete is a beach break with the name of (probably spelled wrong) El Manjanero.
This fast and hollow beach break is exposed to wind, so it's best to get there early. Not much use of a long board there since it's pretty fast.

In due time I will write more about surfing in the Dominican Republic, in the mean time here's some more info on what to do on flat days:

-Wind and kite surfing:

Cabarete is considered one of the worlds best place to do these activities, plenty of schools and rental shops around, best from April to September.

-Mountain biking:

Around cabarete are some great tracks to do this activity, best to go early to avoid the warm mid day sun.

-Canyoning:

Close to Puerto Plata are some great waterfalls for swimming, climbing up and jumping off waterfalls. You need to be fit, and not easily scared, since safety instructions are none existent.

-Snorkeling and diving:

Around Sosua Bay there's some good snorkel and diving sites, plenty of tours and rental possibilities.

-Relax: It's the Caribbean, the weather is always warm, the locals are friendly and the rum is very cheap (2 US$) for a bottle.

Tip: More info about surfing in Cabarete