Punta Lobos, Alex Williams

Summary

+ Super consistent	- Cold water year-round
+ Lots of long left pointbreaks	- Rainy winters and windy
+ Big wave options	- Lack of night entertainment
+ Great countryside, laid-back people	- Hard access to some spots

Pichilemu is probably the most famous surf town in Chile, situated in the south of this zone, which combines Region V and VI in the numerical naming system of Chile. Because both Valparaiso & O’Higgins encircle the Región Metropolitana de Santiago, it is also the most populated, with plenty of weekend warriors making the 120km trip to the beaches from the capital. Long lefthand points begin to appear in the southern corners of the bays along with some strong beachbreaks along the Vina del Mar stretch up to Ritoque, where surfing started back in the early ‘70s. This area is where most city folk will get their first taste of surfing, before heading south to the more challenging setups of Pichilemu, where the awesomely long and handsome lefts of Puertecillo, La Puntilla and Punta de Lobos await in a coldwater goofy-footers paradise. This is the most flexible and accessible zone in all of Chile with something for everyone and is the heart of the growing Chilean surf scene.

When to Go

S to SW and even due W swells appear from Antarctica lows, with sizes varying from 2-18ft (0.5-6m) year-round. The dominant wind comes from the S varying from 32% of the time in June to 55% of the time from Oct through to Feb. The winter period of May-July also gets a lot of NW-NE winds (30-40%), which is unheard of further north. The remainder of the year sees a light S or SW pattern. This means that the north-facing coves will often be offshore, favouring lefts. Mid to high tides are the go at most spots. The tidal range of 6ft (2m) is significant, but it’s hard to find a tide table.

Surf Spots

North of Santiago’s Viña del Mar beach, are the Reñaca beachbreaks, very popular waves, especially in the summer, with an excess of learners on bodyboards. All these beachbreaks are exposed, so whenever there is a swell it’s best to head to the sheltered spots with their long lefts, such as the high tide breaking Las Salinas. Another major surf zone starts at Algarrobo, which is a short, powerful, left reefbreak close to a pier. It’s not far from Cartagena; a busy summer resort that has another good left. La Boquilla is a notable rivermouth wave, also with good lefts. Navidad and Matanzas are rocky inlets that also produce quality lefts. Puertecillo is by far the longest left barrel in this region, however getting there requires a permit because it’s private property. The wave is superb but when it’s on there is always a strong rip that requires constant paddling to stay in position. South of here is Punta Topocalma and then the breaks of the Pichilemu area. First surfed in 1983, Pichilemu quickly became a popular destination with surf travellers because of the endless pointbreaks and laid back atmosphere. Pichilemu itself is a small village and home to what, when the sandbanks are aligned properly, may be the longest wave in Chile. When the swell is small, there is a short left within easy walking distance called Infernillo – with no wind and a high tide, it’s another classic left barrel.

Statistics

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

dominant swell

S -SW

S -SW

S -W

S -W

S -W

S -W

swell size (ft)

4-5

5

6

7-8

6

4

consistency (%)

80

80

90

80

90

60

dominant wind

S -SW

S -SW

N -S

N -S

S -SW

S -SW

average force

F4

F4

F4

F4

F4

F4

consistency (%)

73

66

55

56

66

73

water temp (C)

17

16

14

13

13

15

wetsuit

3/2

3/2

4/3

4/3

4/3

3/2

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