Surfing the Bocas del Toro
It's pretty easy to tell when the swell is happening in the Bocas. Suddenly main street is full of tabla toting youth all primed to get out to the numerous breaks amongst the islands. As the water taxis disgorge the surfers who have made the trek across the Talmancas Mountains from their Pacific side haunts, the boteros are in a loading frenzy to drive their charges out to the numerous waves.
To be sure, the Pacific is a veritable wave machine from Alaska to Cape Horn, and the Pacific coast of Panama has arguably some of the best breaks anywhere. That being said, when the Bocas are pumping, it's a superb surfing destination. Needless to say, many successful surfing seasons have been ticked off the list in Panama.
The swell is usually most consistent and epic from late November well into March. Throughout the rest of the year, the swell is less consistent; however lots of good surfing happens. Another season kicks in during July and August. With the various buoy data:
www.wetsand.com/swellwatch/
www.fnmoc.navy.mil/public/wam/all_natl.html
it's easy to predict well in advance when the Bocas are pumping.
The offshore submarine topography of the Bocas rises radically as the northeasterly swells approach the islands. As a result, the swell kicks up pretty fast and forms powerful tube faces. It's not unusual to have overhead to double overhead days around the archipelago.
The water temperatures are always warm, with rash guards being the only extra insulation necessary. Unlike the cumbersome 20 foot tidal swings on the Pacific side, the Bocas' tides average around 20 inches, so no mud flats or chasing tidal shifts for breaks.
With the abundance and variety of breaks throughout the archipelago, the surfing is pretty incredible! Lefts, rights, points, channel breaks, reef breaks and a plethora of beach breaks will keep any surfer's interest for a long time. The areas around Bocas Town and Carenero have the most developed surfing, primarily due to those areas being the most populated. Since Casa Cayuco is located further away from town and closer to the Parque Nacional, we have our own private reserve of pristine breaks, instead of being in the "line-up" on Carenero or Paunch.
Out at Casa Cayuco we are continually discovering new breaks in the surrounding area. The surfing experience at Casa Cayuco includes all types of breaks, and all levels of surfing skills can be accommodated. We have a substantial inventory of soft-top boards for learning as well.
Our surf trips range in price from $65 - $100 per person depending on location.
Isla Colon
"Paunch"
Inside reef is a fun intermediate break at 4 to 6 feet. Bigger than that, or going to the outside in bigger 8' to 12' swell has greater consequences. Booties help for getting around.
"Dumper"
Outer Dumps:
A very powerful left that can go big! Requires very adroit skills, and you do not want to
get caught inside on the reef. The risk/reward is great resulting in an incredible tube.
Inner Dumps:
A solid intermediate level left at 4 to 6 feet. Overhead gets sketchy and requires more skill.
"Bluff Beach"
This beautiful 3 mile beach offers many options depending on how the sand bars set up. It's generally a powerful intermediate to advanced level beach break that takes a committing attitude. A "board eater" this one.
Isla Carenero
Carenero
This is a must do ride that is really popular. A reef on the northern end of the island sets up a number of really great lefts that break over deep water. Great barrels that start setting up at 4 ft and go 12ft+. Generally the farther out you drop in, the larger the face. When conditions are right the lefts can line up into a long 200 meter ride! The downside can be the size of the line-up vying for position.
Black Rock
A great right over sandy bottom with a few rocks around that are not much of a problem. A great beginner to intermediate area.
Isla Bastimentos
Playa Larga
Now we're getting out in our back yard. Playa Larga is a pristine 3 mile stretch of beach in the Parque Nacional that is known for its turtle nesting sites. Numerous beach and reef breaks abound for all skill levels depending on the size of the swell. Even on the calmest days, we still find a fun break to play on. We have never seen anyone else on this stretch, when we have been surfing there. Playa Larga is a favorite CC surf spot that we sometimes kayak to with our boards in tow.
Cocos
This is a great right point break that can be long and over deep water. It's a great beginner to intermediate break, when the swell allows.
First Beach
First Beach has a point and beach breaks with rights and lefts. It is powerful with strong currents, and the beach break tends to close out, so it's definitely for the more experienced.
Silverbacks
Did someone say "North Shore?" On the northern end of Bastimentos, this one goes big in epic conditions with 20 ft tubes breaking into deeper water, though the reef is very close by. Experts only!
Cayos Zapatillas and Punta Vieja
Our Back Yard
At 4 to 6 feet the inside peaks off Punta Vieja afford short rights and lefts over deep water. The proximity of reef makes it an intermediate area. When the conditions are larger, the outer breaks form very powerful walls for advanced surfers.
When the swell is big, we have a great long board break 100 meters from our dock that is a fun beginner wave.
Numerous reef breaks over deep water abound inside the bay.
The Cayos Zapatillos have incredible rights and lefts that are set up by the outlying reefs over deep water channels. The locale is very Tahitian with an "expedition" surfing feel. You won't encounter any other surfers out here. We oftentimes kayak over to the Zapatillas with our boards in tow.
Punta Valiente and the Mainland
We have made several exploratory trips to this area and have discovered Nirvana!!! We anticipate many great surfing days here in the future.
The Other Stuff
We have been making exploratory trips to the other outlying islands near Casa Cayuco. Suffice to say, there are plenty more first descents to be made on high quality breaks around these islands.