THE SURF

San Cristobal island is located 960 Km west of Ecuador. The best surfing season is from December-April. This is the period when wind and swell conditions conspire to offer world class perfection. The waves average 3-6 ft, but can get up to 15 ft on the biggest swells. Long period ground swells arrive from a NW or SW direction and last between 3 and 4 days at a time. There is rideable surf everyday in the Galapagos at least chest-head high so getting skunked is a very remote possibility. For surfboards, recommended quiver would be a shortboard, a 6-6 to 6-9 rounded pin or mini gun, and one gun in the 7-foot range for the bigger days. Bring all equipment as there are no surf shops on the island.

The island main spots are:

Loberia: This is the island heaviest wave. Receives S, SW, W swells. Gets big and it breaks to both sides. The bottom is lava rock.. In here is located a sea lions colony and it can be fun to snorkel in. It gets visited a lot by tourists. Not recommended for sun bathing. For reference, check the photo with the Pipeline look alike with a guy at the drop.

Carola Point: The jewel of the island. Is a righthander, it can get big and takes only N, NW swells. Square barrels and long rides. The bottom is formed by rounded lava rocks. It has a nice beach and is also fun to snorkel in. For references, just check all the photos that is not a left.

Tongo Reef: A perfect lefthander with long rides and some fun tubes. It can be ridden for over 300 m. It takes S, SW, W swells. Round lava rocks.

El Canon ( the canon ): Great, fast, tubing lefthander. Located right in front of a navy base. Rounded and sharp lava rocks. It gets surfed often by Sea lions. It takes N, NW, W and strong SW swells.

In the case that the swells do get out of control, the options are:
Huge southerly swell: Tongo Reef, the Canon
Huge Northerly swell: The Canon or el Manglecito ( little mangrove )

Manglecito: This wave is located 15-20 minutes by boat. It breaks to both sides and neds a strong N, NW swell. FUN wave. This ride has to be done at low tide and it last 6 hours.

JANUARY 06