Surfing in Central Nicaragua: Our World-Class Surf Breaks

y far one of the most unique and legendary waves in all of Central America. This world-class mechanical wave delivers a reeling left-hand ride that can stretch over 150 to 300 yards from top to bottom. Because Puerto Sandino is only accessible by boat, crowds are kept to a minimum. Our all-inclusive surf camp packages include daily boat trips to ensure you catch this freight train at peak performance.

Best Tide: Low to Negative Low

Best Direction: SW, S @ 190 – 225

Best Intervals: 14-20 Seconds

Surfable: Most all Days Year Round

Experience: Intermediate to Advance

Bottom: Sand

Located directly in front of Casa La Barra Surf Resort, Punta Miramar is a high-performance point break with distinct inside and outside reef sections. On heavy groundswells, the outside reef transforms into a playground for absolute barrel-chargers. On smaller days, the inside reef mellows out, offering incredibly fun, approachable shapes for intermediate surfers.

Best Tide Inside Reef: High

Best Tide Outside Reef: Low

Best Direction: SW, S @ 195 – 225

Best Intervals: 12-18, Kamikaze @ 18 Sec +

Surfable: Most all Days Year Round

Experience: Beginner to Advanced

Bottom: Rock Reef

This is our highly acclaimed "house wave" breaking right on our doorstep. Shacks is loved by all of our guests because it offers a stress-free reef setup complete with a wide, safe channel for easy paddling. Whether you want to pull into a glassy barrel or just cruise on the open shoulder, you can choose your takeoff zone to match your comfort level.

Best Tide: Medium to High

Best Direction: SW, @ 195-225

Best Intervals: 12-16 Sec

Surfable: Most all Days Year Round

Experience: Beginner to Advanced

Bottom: Flat Rock Reef

Here we have a wide-open beach with some lava formations about 100 yards offshore that break up the groundswell, move the sand around and make for some various corners and sand bars up and down the beach. It’s hardly ever world-class, but it does pick up a lot of swell so we typically head down here when the swell is a bit smaller. When it gets overhead it gets a bit closed out so we look to other breaks.

Best Tide: All Tides

Best Direction: SW and South

Best Intervals: 12-16 sec

Surfable: When flat we go here, picks up most swell but closes out when big

Experience: Beginner to Advanced

Bottom: Sand

Located a short boat ride or drive north, Salinas Grande features miles of completely empty, untouched beach breaks. It thrives on crossed-up swells that create beautiful A-frame peaks and hollow, draining barrels during the rainy season.

Best Tide: All Tides

Best Direction: SW and South

Best Intervals: 12-16 sec

Surfable: Most all Days Year Round by Boat

Experience: Beginner to Advanced

Bottom: Sand

Located just 200 yards south of the resort, Shifties is a super fun, high-performance beach break. An outside reef absorbs the initial impact of deep-ocean swells, cloud-breaking before reforming into a beautifully shaped, multi-peak beach break. It offers excellent air sections for high-performance shortboarding and a forgiving arena for beginners on high tide.

Best Tide: Medium to High

Best Direction: SW, @ 195-225

Best Intervals: 12-20 Sec

Surfable: Most all Days Year Round

Experience: Beginner to Advanced

Bottom: Sand

Sitting directly outside Shifties is our heavy-water Outer Reef. This is a serious paddle meant for advanced surfers looking for the ride of a lifetime. It is a highly hollow, shallow reef slab that produces heavy, photogenic barrels.

Best Tide: Low to Medium

Best Direction: SW, @ 195-225

Best Intervals: 14-20 Sec

Surfable: Recommended on Larger Swells

Experience: Advanced

Bottom: Shallow Reef