Surfing South America

Surfing in Chile

In South America there are a lot of beaches that are great for surfing, I’m talking about a lot of countries, like Ecuador, Chile, Perú, Brazil, and some other that have superb waves.

But now I want to give special attention to Chilean beaches.

Chile can be very chilly (hehehe), but going up north is much warmer, particularly near Arica near the Peruvian limit, the waves are well-built and strong, some other good surfing places in north Chile are Iquique and La Serena, but fine waves can be found all over the country, even though a wetsuit is obligatory.

Further south we can find a place called Pichilemu, one of the best surf locations in Chile. It’s located about 78 miles southeast from San Fernando. This place has a rock bottom, so the waves are always good!, and became a true surfers paradise. Pichilemu has been divided by complexity zones, (from easy to hard) La Puntilla, El Infiernillo y Punta Lobos, those are the three zones in Pichilemu.

There are some other locations that are very good too, there is Pichidangui, Reñaca, Maitencillo and Ritoque, Totoralillo, Portofino, Puertecillo, all of this places are very common and well known, but there are some other places, secret places, that don’t get much attention, but not for long, this places are becoming popular because of their waves, this beaches are:

Punta Choros: Northwest from La Serena, about 2 hour drive, near Caleta Punta Choros, you’ll find “Isla Choros” (Choros Island), ideal for beginners.

Secreto: The name (Secret) is because not many know how to get there or where it is, the locals say that the first time you go, you have to go blinded so you don’t remember the way.

Salinas de Pullay: Half hour drive from Papudo, amateur, but very good waves.

At last but not least we have Pucatrihue, 42 miles from Osorno, there you’ll find intense rights and lefts, cold water, rainy days and a fishing community called “Huilliches” that years ago, gave its life to surf.

If you go, keep your wetsuits in mind!

If you know more beaches in Chile or some other beach that deserves attention, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.