Winter Surf Travel Guide: 10 Places to Catch Warm Water Waves
- Cash Lambert
- 2 minutes ago
- 7 min read
When the weather turns cold, Northern surfers have a choice to make: brave the tundra, or hop on a plane to warmer waters.
For those who’d rather go with the latter (hard to blame you), this list spans destinations from the Caribbean to Central and South America, all the way to the Maldives. Flights from the US ranging from under three hours to over twenty. Spots suitable for beginners to experts. Reef breaks and beach breaks.
There’s something for everyone here.
What should you pack?
Before you hop on a plane to surf until your arms fall off, you have to fill your suitcase. Packing for a tropical surf trip is refreshingly easy.
No need for bulky wetsuits, booties, or thick towel ponchos. Honestly, clothes are only sort of necessary for most of these places. But there are a few things you need for a surf trip, and one of them is a good bikini — or a lot of them.
Recently, I’ve been loving Kulani Kinis’ new ‘Wild Honey’ collection for small sessions and long beach days (my personal favorites are Blue Lagoon & Paradise Pop). For long sessions in the sun, Tan Madonnas and Carve Designs have some great surf suits. For the guys — check out this article for your best recs.
You’ll also want to bring some sunscreen (I love Oze Sun, its reef safe and made with organic ingredients), surfboard wax, and a towel (big fan of my Sandcloud towel). And after that, what else do you really need? You’re on the beach. The sun’s out. The rest will follow.
Here’s some of the best places across the world to catch warm waves all winter long.
Located on Puerto Rico’s Northwest coast, Rincón’s cluster of surf breaks has earned the town the reputation of the island’s surf capital. From December to April, winter storm systems in the North Atlantic consistently deliver high quality waves to its reef breaks.
Tres Palmas, Puerto Rico’s famed big-wave break, produces waves 15 ft plus when it's pumping. Spots like Maria’s, Parking Lots, and Domes can hold playful waves for beginners as well as more powerful waves for advanced and intermediate surfers.
With water temperatures around 80°F all winter long, you’ll want to pack some durable bikinis and surf suits for long days in the ocean.
Two of my go-tos on my last trip to Rincón were Tan Madonna’s Patricia bikini top and Carve Design’s Sonny one piece.
When the waves are smaller in Rincón, you can shoot up North to Aguadilla to hit breaks like Surfer’s Beach, Wilderness, or Jobos. Rincón also has some incredible snorkel and scuba spots right in town. The town is laid back, surf-centric, and it’ll take you at least two weeks before you run out of new restaurants to try. The ride from BQN airport being only 45 minutes is the cherry on top.
Nosara has been called one of the most consistent breaks in the world, with clockwork-like waves every morning and evening. It's about a 3 hour drive from the nearest airport, LIB but it is well worth the wait.
Playa Guiones, the most popular break in Nosara, is a spread out beach break with plenty of peaks, so there’s room for everyone to get a couple rides. When it's on the smaller side, most people ride long boards or midlengths to catch more waves, but Playa Guiones is suitable for beginners to experts; soft tops to shortboards.
On early mornings, the water can be a little chilly with a strong offshore wind. Tan Madonnas’ Kristin surf suit is perfect to keep the sun off your back in the later morning hours, but also can keep you a little warmer in the early mornings. Water temperatures stick around 75°F and 85°F all year.
The town of Nosara is pretty walkable, with tons of restaurants, bars, surf shops, AirBNB’s, and hotels in a two mile radius. Nosara does not mess around when it comes to early morning surfing though — most spots in town shut down around 9pm.
3. Popoyo, Nicaragua
Popoyo offers another super consistent break in Central America. Known for breaks like Main Reef and its intimidating older sister Outer Reef, Popoyo may seem like an intermediate to advanced-only surf destination, but there’s a few little bumps for beginners to hop on at Beginner’s Bay, Playa Guasacuate, and Playa Santana.
Most spots in Popoyo send long, hollow a-frames peeling off towards the beach.
Popoyo is about two and a half hours from MGA airport in Managua, and home to many popular surf camps.
It's definitely not a secret surf destination, but it has gained its popularity for a reason. Winter is actually the quieter swell season for Popoyo, but its consistency still makes it worth visiting during the off season, especially if you're on the beginner to intermediate side. Plus, water temperatures sit around 76°F, which sounds a lot better than surfing in the snow.
4. La Libertad, El Salvador
With righty cobblestone point breaks like the world class Punta Ruca, river mouths, and high quality beach breaks, La Libertad should be at the top of any regular-footed surfers’ bucket list.
Despite its high quality waves, the port city hasn’t quite caught up to Nicaragua or Costa Rica’s surf frenzy yet, meaning you’ll pay a bit less and surf a bit more on your trip. It's only 45 minutes from SAL airport and has a few surf camps and hotels right near the main breaks.
The water is warm all winter with temperatures around 80–82°F and surfers of all (board) shapes and sizes can find something to surf in the area. During the dry season (winter months), El Salvador produces more mellow, clean, consistent waves, making it a great trip for intermediate surfers. Advanced surfers might prefer to take a trip to La Libertad in the later fall months since it does well with southern swells.
5. Sayulita, Mexico
The charming little surf town of Sayulita is home to some solid surf in Mexico, with a number of breaks in walking and driving distance fit for every skill level.
Known mostly for its gentle peelers and longboarder waves, more advanced surfers can take a short trip to Punta Mita for a nice A-frame or San Pancho for a fast beach break. Sayulita itself has three breaks right in town, best for longboarders and beginners: Sandbar, Sayulita Right, and Sayulita Left. No matter where you surf in Sayulita, you’ll stay warm in 75–78°F waters all winter.
It takes only about an hour to get to Sayulita from PVR airport in Puerto Vallarta, and once you're in town it’s pretty walkable. The cobblestone streets are lined with bars, restaurants, swanky coffee shops, yoga studios, and whatever else you might need on a surf trip.
6. Cocoa Beach, Florida
While it may not have the warmest water temperatures on this list, this little surf town on Florida’s East coast is an excellent option for those wanting to stay closer to home — and maybe willing to wear a wetsuit.
By late March, Cocoa Beach’s water temperatures reach 73°F to 74°F, making it perfect for a late winter or early spring trip. There’s a ton of peaks across the town’s sandy beaches, but Cocoa Beach Pier and Shark Pit are some of the most popular and consistent.
Like most East coast surf spots, skill level and board choice depend on everchanging wave conditions, but for the most part, Cocoa Beach offers surf for beginner, intermediate, and advanced surfers.
MLB, the smaller international airport, is about 30 minutes away, with major airport MCO being about 50 minutes away.
7. Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Located on the southern end of the Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa offers miles of beach breaks suitable for beginner-advanced surfers. It's consistent all winter long with water temperatures around 80–82°F for the season.
Banana Beach, Playa Hermosa, and Playa Carmen are popular beach breaks with plenty of peaks to keep the crowds spread out. The town of Santa Teresa is bustling with plenty of spots to eat, drink, work remotely, do yoga, and shop.
It's a bit of a journey from both LIR and SJO airports due to its position on the tip of the peninsula, so you’ll have to pick your poison between long car rides, a ferry, or a second plane trip.
8. Barbados
Aside from Barbados’ luxury hotel and yacht scene, the island offers a pretty solid front for surfing on the East coast, including what Kelly Slater has called one of his favorite breaks, Soup Bowl.
Bathsheba is the main surf spot on the island, and only about a 30 minute ride from BGI airport in Bridgetown, which also has some surf.
Bathsheba is the best spot for a home base for a surf trip in Barbados, being close to a number of breaks and possessing that classic “surf town” vibe everybody looks for in a tropical surf destination. Water temperature in the winter hangs around 80–82°F all season.
Breaks like Sandbank, Parlors, Surfer’s Point, and Freights Bay offer a variety of beach breaks and reef breaks for different skill levels. Soup Bowl is a favorite of pros and local legends for a reason; it's a tough but rewarding wave for those skilled enough to ride it.
9. Sri Lanka
If you’re looking to take a trip across the pond, these last few spots are for you. Sri Lanka has waves on both the East and Southwest sides of the island, but the Southwest side works better over the winter. Water temperatures here are bathtub warm, hitting 82–84°F during the winter.
Hiriketiya, located on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, has recently transformed from a handful of surf shacks on the beach to a full blown surf town. Most surf spots on the southern coast are about a three-four hour drive from CMB airport in Colombo. In many surf towns in Sri Lanka, you’ll find surf camps and trendy surf hostels located just steps from the ocean.
With gentler waves and warm water, Sri Lanks is the perfect sweet escape for those looking for a mellow surf trip. Sri Lanka does get some decent swells, but it is relatively beginner friendly and long board-centric most of the time. Madiha, Weligama, or SK Town are good options for intermediate and above surfers.
10. The Maldives
A bucket list trip for many surfers, the Maldives offers world-class waves within its reef breaks strewn about three main areas: Northern Atolls, Central Atolls, and Southern Atolls. As you move further south, the waves generally become more powerful and require a higher skill level.
The Northern Atolls is where you’ll find most surf camps and resorts and surf charter boats. No need to pack any sort of wetsuit for this trip: the water is about 82–84°F during the winter.
In the Northern Atolls, popular breaks include Chickens, Cokes, and Ninja’s, all accessible by boat. To get to your surf spot, you’ll likely fly into MLE airport in Malé, and then take a short flight or boat ride to the island or charter boat you're staying on.
The Maldives might not be easy to get to, but it's a once in a lifetime kind of trip.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking to find some warm surf spots over the winter, there’s no shortage of great surf trip destinations, both near and far, for every type of surfer.