Surfing

Playa el Borrego [1] has one of the surf breaks that has made San Blas [2] one of Mexico’s top surfing meccas, but nearly all of San Blas’s action goes on at world-class surfing mecca Matanchén Beach [3]. Surfers and surfing enthusiasts begin arriving in San Blas in May when the waves begin to grow, and as long as the surf’s up, stay around until at least October.

Veterans recognize at least five surf breaks, all on San Blas’s beaches, sprinkled, in succession, from the Borrego break (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced), at Playa el Borrego, to the Las Islitas (Intermediate, Advanced) break at Playa las Islitas. These breaks, depending on seasonal conditions, can challenge all surfers, from beginners to advanced.

To find out more, be sure to visit Stoner’s Surf Camp on Playa el Borrego, beach side of the entrance parking lot. Here, welcoming owner-operator Nikki Kath, besides renting boogie boards ($2/hr) and surfboards ($3/hr), offers surf lessons ($15/hr) and runs a restaurant, a hotel, and a small campground on the premises. Juan “Bananas” Garcia (tel. 323/285-0462) at his café at H. Battallón 219 also rents surfboards and boogie boards.

If you want to learn to surf, or are already a surfer wanting to improve your skills, Stoner’s is ready for you, with their champion instructor Jose “Pompi” Manuel Cano, who owns a long list of awards that he began winning in 1980, at the age of eight. For much more surfing information, visit the Stoner’s Surf Camp website, www.stonerssurfcamp.com [4].