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The Waves

There are several fun waves within walking distance of Guasacate beach. The main waves are:

• Popoyo – A popular reef break
• North Rivermouth – An uncrowded beach break
• South Rivermouth – A less consistent beach break
• Guasacate Beach – You can find an occasional corner
• Beginner’s Bay – A soft beach break
• Popoyo Outer Reef – A gnarly barrel over shallow reef

Moderate to Advanced Surfing – best bet is Popoyo or North Rivermouth.

Beginners – best bet is Beginner’s Bay.

How To Get Stoked

Your probability for getting stoked in this area is high. All-day offshore winds keep the window of opportunity for scoring open throughout the day and consistent swell in the summer means virtually 0 unsurfable days.

• Swell – Very consistent Jun-Sep
• Tides – Mid to high is best for the beaches; reefs work on most tides
• Wind – Offshore most days
• Crowds – Can get crowded

Timing

Your best bet is to pick a chunk of time as long as you possibly can to stay in the area. The longer you stay the higher your chances are of scoring a few days where all the conditions line up. If you have a two week window, your chances of getting a few really good days is high and you’ll definitely get several fun days.

In case the best swell happens to line up with the first few days you’re there, hit the ground running. Preparing ahead of time is helpful. Getting on-the-ground information once you arrive will help fill the gaps for you. I found a lot of information online about breaks like Popoyo to be misleading. For example, when I was doing my research:

• MSW has the geolocation off by about a quarter of a mile
• Multiple local websites over-exaggerated how good Popoyo is (more than one stating it was the Trestles of Nicaragua – it’s good… but it’s not Trestles)
• No sites mentioned the nearby rivermouth which was more fun on several of the days I was there

Tips: Surf Travel: How To Increase Your Probability of Scoring

Other Somewhat Important Details

The Town – What To Expect

Guasacate is not very developed. It’s dirt roads with potholes all the way, with sparse structures leading up to the beachfront. Along the beachfront road there’s a higher concentration of homes and businesses, all of which are separated by empty lots and old abandoned or unused homes. As of this writing the main area consists of:

• One convenience store
• Several hostels / “surf camps”
• A couple hotels
• Various private homes – some nice beachfront and more “local” dwellings
• Several empty lots

Where To Stay

The area is mostly dominated by hostels, many of which have branded themselves as “surf camps”. But there are some actual surf camps where you can pay for room and board + trips to nearby surf spots.

There are a few AirBnBs / Hotels to choose from. Check ahead of time to make sure they have the amenities you want like air conditioning.

Food

There are several restaurants in the area to choose from and this is your best bet for food. The prices are very manageable so it won’t break your budget to eat out for every meal. If you rent a full house then you’ll get a kitchen and you’ll need to stop on your way in to Guasacate to get groceries. Otherwise, you’ll be limited to the restaurants and snacks from the convenience store.

It only takes about a 15 minute walk down the main beachfront road to scout out all of the food options. For the most part, you can judge the food quality by the look of the place. Keep in mind that some places close early and/or are closed on certain days of the week.