Hey Guys... it's time to book a plane ticket. I need some advice. My GF and I will be grilling and chilling (and working) in Buenos Aires for most of the summer. It will be winter there. I will be 5 hours away from the nearest surf spot. So there is a surf trip to follow in August. My GF does not like cold weather surfing, & since meeting a surfer from Mompiche, we've been interested in Ecuador. We would probably check out multiple regions over a 2/3 week period. Before we pull the trigger on plane tickets, is there any reason I should or shouldn't choose Ecuador? The more I read, the more it seems that the winds will mostly be onshore in August, at least for the Esmereldas region.... And yes, I've read the previous threads on Ecuador; they were thin & contained dead links, so any info will be appreciated. As far as my ability goes, I'm still a beginner. I can get outside through overhead waves, but don't feel quite comfortable surfing them yet...
Then bring it on home to Waikiki, dawg. Aw, just kiddn. Keep an eye on the long-range FUcasts from Surfline & MSW. Then get your tkt & go where the waves won't kill you. In the meantime, since you're in BA, check out the surf spots over on the Argentinean Atlantic. Mar del Plata is worth a look, but it gets pretty crowded at certain times of the year. Also: highly recommended to do a long wknd in Uruguay. You can take the ferry from BA to Montevideo, it was approx 2.5-3 hrs. Rent your ride in Montevideo. Head up the coastline to Punta del Este and rent a board there. Then drive up the coast to Punta del Diablo. The further you drive the better it gets in terms of less people. Water's a bit cool, so check the temp & bring the appropriate wetsuit. Uruguay is a fantastic country. People are friendly, small-towny, helpful & the coastline of the South Atlantic is humbling in a vast and cool way. You'll think that you're in Europe at some points: a huge portion of the population is of Italian heritage. Even their Spanish is spoken with Italian inflections. One of my favorite places on the planet. Buen viaje.
Hell yeah Yank. The South Atlantic is an awesome part of the planet, with awesome people. I have been to MarDel and have a couple of connections there, and I've been to Montevideo, but not Punta. I've got at least one holiday weekend, and im gonna try to make it to both. Hopefully I'll score in three countries this summer. About buying the ticket last minute for an assured FUcast score- my GF needs to buy her ticket soon in order for it to be reimbursed. So we will save some money by committing in advance.... If it was totally up to me, I'd go back to Chile; I've had a small taste and found the Chilean coast fascinating. But we've gotta go somewhere warmer for her .. and cheaper for me.
Before we pull the trigger on plane tickets, is there any reason I should or shouldn't choose Ecuador? the reason you shouldn't choose ecuador is that surf-wise when compared to peru its a joke (a bad one). august is full suit time though and this may be an issue both destinations. see peru thread previous and THE ONLY PLACE TO STAY is in punta hermosa...try oscars, sandros, or pepe romos' place.
Slashdog, careful about mentioning multiple surf trips on here lest the locals accuse you of unemployment. Sounds like a good lil summah on your hands. Per Uruguay, a bud of mine was just down there not for surfing and his pics looked amazing. Definitely appears to be a must-do on a cultural level. Ecuador is on my watch list after someone I know went there a year ago. I researched it and although not matching the surf of Peru and others, still looks like it kicks azz. Galapagos is an ecosystem that doesn't have a replica elsewhere on earth. Interested to hear how that goes. Enjoy the travel and surf. Btw, you changing that avatar soon? Other brahs on here with the more disturbing ones have gone to something more aesthetic. Your call, your avatar, was just curious.
Roger that Baddy. Thanks for the suggestion. I've done some digging and Punta Hermosa sounds pretty sick. Keep in mind that I want nothing to do with the DOH macking stuff. I'm looking for some forgiving chest to head, OH days without super sketchy setups. I was avoiding Peru because of cost- it's my understanding that Ecuador will be significantly cheaper. I don't mind wearing a wetty, or booties, but I am sick of the gloves. I f*cking hate my ****ty gloves. I've always loved the idea of an unassisted hike to Machu Pichu, so with that and your suggestion in mind, I think I'll have to at least make a case for Peru. Haha. Fair enough man, right now I AM unemployed. That's the easy part- bust your ass freelance, then your free, until you need money and gotta hustle. Works well for long, infrequent trips to cheap and sketchy parts of the world. What I think 'the locals' (myself included) are wondering is how you manage frequent trips to nice, safe places while maintaining a job (Zumba instructor?) ... though Yankee seems to do pretty well at this too (State Department?). And yeah, Galapagos... it takes some serious coin to get out there, but I would love to make it one day. Northern Peru probably leaves a bit to the imagination in terms of flora and fauna... As far as my avatar is concerned, I'm not sure I could stomach the change. Ever since Brewengineer changed his avatar, I've been struck with pangs of fond nostalgia for the SI days of yore. At least now we know what he looks like.
I think that point Matapalo doesnt get the swell it needs to work all the time....why not go big...COLUMBIA, empty lineups, numb faces, and some of the finest latina trim....maybe talk the gf into some kink an cause naked hippies are wondering around Macchu Piccu, it is soon to be mandated that all tourists have a peruvian guide, so get on it before that happens http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/20/travel/naked-tourists-machu-picchu-peru/
I'm just curious if you ever went and have a "trip review" to share? I'm looking to book a Sept/Oct trip somewhere and Ecuador is on the list. Would love to hear your experience with the place.
I ended up taking Baddy/Worsey's advice and went to Peru instead. The waves were good in Peru but I barely got to surf on account of a nasty infection (and subsequent visit to a sketchy hospital). Surprisingly, I ended up surfing much more in Argentina, which was great. But Argentina is obviously not the best place to take a surf-dedicated trip. Notably, the shaper I stayed with in Argentina told me that I should go to Ecuador over Peru; his friend has a house there and he said the waves were decent and that the coast was beautiful. I can definitely tell you this: the Peruvian coast ain't pretty, at least not south of Lima. I haven't found highly detailed surf info on Ecuador. With the name NICAfiend, I'm guessing your Español is decent, so maybe hit up some native-language forums or blast out some emails asking for help.
