Consistent surf all year round, 9,330km of coastline, and nearly always sunny days – sold? Then welcome to Mexico. Mexico is a prime destination for surfers, with the capacity to entertain for a day or a week of exciting surfing. For beginners, the reliable surf and established surf school infrastructure make Mexico a particularly good choice. Although which, you may wonder, are the best beaches for surfing in Mexico for beginners?
It’s a great idea to research beginner-suitable beaches before booking a holiday to Mexico. By doing so, you can choose your accommodation based on proximity to suitable beaches – making your time much more enjoyable and safer. By basing yourself close to beaches that match your surfing skill set, you also save transportation costs and travel time.
Of course, narrowing down your choice from all the beaches in Mexico is a difficult task. To save you time, we’ve curated a helpful guide to the 9 best beaches for surfing in Mexico for beginners.
La Punta, Puerto Escondido
Of all the coastal cities in Mexico, Puerto Escondido is one of the most famous for surfing. However, while the city has lots of beaches suitable for surfing, there are many that you should avoid as a beginner. Many beaches experience large swells that can be dangerous for inexperienced surfers – so research beforehand and stick to the beginner-friendly spots.
Luckily, La Punta is a fantastic beach for beginners in Puerto Escondido. The beach has a left-hand point break that provides plenty of fun waves to learn on that are still soft enough to play nicely with newbies. The beach is sand bottom but does have a few rocks that surfers be conscious to avoid.
We’d recommend La Punta for beginners with a full understanding of water safety and the initial basics. For those looking to take a lesson, La Punta has a number of surf schools and rental shops. If you book a lesson, the spot is suitable for complete beginners as you are accompanied by a qualified instructor throughout your surf.
Playa Sayulita, Nayarit
For beginners, finding the balance between uncrowded waters and facilities is a fine art. Emptier waters mean fewer concerns over collisions and a distracting need for special awareness, whereas more facilities mean board rentals, lessons, and better safety. Sayulita is the beginner’s answer to the best of both worlds.
As far as Mexican surfing spots go, Sayulita beach is great for beginners wanting that extra space to navigate waves stress-free. There are also shacks along the beachfront where surfers can purchase rentals, lessons, and refreshments after their surf. If you really want a quieter experience, we’d recommend arriving nice and early to beat the other surfers of the day. Besides, that way, you can enjoy breakfast on the beach afterward.
For beginner-friendly waves, head to the south end of the beach. Here, the swell is smaller and mellow – great for those who want a gentle introduction to surfing with minimal challenges. With a long take-off zone, the spot is ideal for practicing standing up on the board and timing waves. And, with plenty of surf schools running from the beach, it is easy to book a lesson on arrival.
Playa Los Cerritos, Los Cabos
Playa Los Cerritos is perfect for those wanting reliable swells and is easily one of the best beaches for surfing in Mexico for beginners. Its reliability also makes it a good option for beginners who want to book surf camps or a block of lessons.
The beach itself is protected from larger swells by an outer reef, making it good for swimmers and surfing beginners alike. Playa Los Cerritos is sand bottom, and its waves are beach breaks, which are excellent for those wanting forgiving surfing practice. Thanks to the outer reef, beginners can expect lots of clean opportunities to catch regular waves, making the beach a productive spot to practice.
After surfing, you can take advantage of Los Cerritos’ many restaurants. The area specializes in freshly caught seafood and has lots of local Mexican and even Italian options.
Playa Los Pinos, Mazatlan
While point breaks can be technically harder for beginners, Playa Los Pinos comes into its own for its consistent surf and light winds. Experienced surfers often pass up Playa Los Pinos in certain months, considering the waves as too small. However, these smaller waves are ideal for beginners and mean Playa Los Pinos is quieter in these months – making the beach a consistent, all-year-round spot for surfing beginners coming to Mexico.
The beach is a mixture of sand and rock bottom, and the take-off zone is relatively short. For this reason, we recommend Playa Los Pinos as a spot for beginners taking surfing lessons. When surfing with no professional direction, these factors could be too challenging for a beginner. However, with an instructor, beginners will be able to navigate these factors and take advantage of the smaller waves and fun surf.
Playa Carrizalillo, Puerto Escondido
When we said that Puerto Escondido is famous for its surfing, we meant it. While La Punta is great for beginners wanting a challenge, for complete beginners, we’d recommend Playa Carrizalillo over La Punta.
Playa Carrizalillo sits in the protection of a cove in the headland, meaning surfers can enjoy smaller, friendlier swells. As a sandy-bottomed beach break, the beach is very forgiving for newbies looking to catch some confidence-building waves. And, with left-hand and right-hand breaks, there are plenty of different waves to practice catching. Playa Carrizalillo is the type of beach beginners crave – a kind, feel-good spot to take to the water and have some productive fun. It is easily one of the best beaches for surfing in Mexico for beginners.
If you are looking for lessons or to rent a board, you are in luck. The beach has a select few beach huts with a variety of boards to rent. You can also book a lesson from the beach, subject to availability on your arrival.
Playa Bonfil, Acapulco
Another friendly beach break, Playa Bonfil sits on the resort coast of Acapulco. As the beach is completely exposed, it can experience larger swells in strong winds. However, in mild winds, Playa Bonfil is ideal for beginner’s all-year-round.
Its easy access, solid surfing infrastructure, and regular beach breaks make it perfect for practicing and learning. Playa Bonfil also has a sandy bottom, which is forgiving for beginners. With no rocks to avoid, you don’t have to worry about injuries should you wipe out or nosedive. If you are looking for a spot to make mistakes, Playa Bonafil is a smart place to start.
Playa Bonafil is a seasonal recommendation of one of the best beaches for surfing in Mexico for beginners. As, between October and March, visitors can expect smaller, easier waves. However, there is no reason why beginners should miss out on surf outside of these months when accompanied by an instructor.
Playa La Lancha, Punta Mita
La Lancha is a fun, more remote beach for beginners to sink their teeth into. You should head to catch the right breaks (although the faster left breaks are great for beginners wanting to progress to a challenge).
La Lancha offers an A-frame beach break, with a mostly sand-bottom well-suited to beginners. It tends to stay quieter than the other beaches on this list as well, which is ideal for those who want a little extra space and privacy.
While La Lancha has no facilities on the beach itself, it does have surf shacks, an approximate ten-minute walk inland. Keep in mind that you will have to carry it along a jungle track to reach the beach if you rent a surfboard. And similarly, surfing lessons will have to be arranged before reaching La Lancha, which requires a bit of planning. In our opinion, though, this is a small price to pay for a quieter environment to practice.
Playa Punta Conejo, Salina Cruz
Playa Punta Conejo is situated right next to one of the area’s leading resorts. Punta Conejo is a coastal resort, mostly associated with surfing and golfing opportunities. For those seeking a base for a surfing holiday, Punta Conejo is a well-rounded option. The resort has access to plenty of beginner-friendly beaches, including Playa Punta Conejo – sat right on the resort’s doorstep.
Playa Punta Conejo is an exposed beach, meaning swells can rise in strong winds. However, for the most part, surfers can expect consistently friendly waves that are perfect for welcoming beginners. The beach’s right break is especially great for practicing new skills and timings.
If you want a structured introduction to surfing at Playa Punta Conejo, we’d recommend booking ahead for a surf camp or lesson. Like the Playa La Lancha, beginners to surfing will need to be a little more planning to get the most out of Playa Punta Conejo.
The Ranch, West Guerrero
The Ranch is a river-mouth break that’s exposed location leaves it with consistent swells – perfect for those wanting reliable, fun surf. Beginners do need to be wary of riptides when surfing at The Ranch, so we’d recommend taking a lesson with a local instructor to enjoy the water safely.
The Ranch is a challenging step up, best suited to those confident with the absolute basics of surfing and with strong swimming abilities. The beach has long waves and both right and left breaks. The Ranch is also quite remote, so it’s best to arrange transport as part of your surf lesson package.
For beginners moving into the intermediate bracket, The Ranch is a brilliant stepping-stone. Challenging but not ruthless, it is a good option to test out your technical skills and take advantage of fun conditions when under supervision.
Is it safe to surf in Mexico?
Yes, it is safe to surf in Mexico. However, stay mindful of rips and strong currents.
It is best to check with locals and research beaches before surfing. If you feel underconfident or unsure about a new spot, opt for a lesson rather than an independent surf.
Is the surf in Mexico good for beginners?
The surf in Mexico is good for all levels of surfers, including beginners. Beginners will benefit from the variety of surf available as it allows them to challenge themselves and improve gradually. There are also plenty of places with smaller waves to build beginners’ confidence.
Where is the best place to surf in Mexico for beginners?
The best place to surf in Mexico for absolute beginners is Playa Carrizalillo in Puerto Escondido.
What is the best time to surf in Mexico?
For beginners, the quieter time to surf in Mexico is between October and March. In these months, waves tend to be smaller, so the waters are less busy with other surfers. However, March to December is the most popular period, with bigger swells for intermediate and advanced surfers.
