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Best place to go in late December into new year
- Thread starter enframed
- Start date
Yes, yes he did - see "Warm water and sun. "
See also - "And I meant fairly *uncrowded* surf "
Okay, just around the corner, not Marias area. You can score plenty of fairly uncrowded waves around in Rincon (parking lots, pools etc) and a bit further up in Aguadilla (maybe 5-10 miles away)...and 9 days out of 10 on the banks is gonna be cold with a relenting NE wind and nothing to do but play scrabble with the misses and booze with the crew you brought...have fun in that 5/4/3 anywhere above Avon. Outer Rincon (past Domes - Aguadilla) doesn't get any more chill, has interesting culture, mellow sh!t to do and easy to fly in and out of. I love Hatteras, but that move would be idiotic from "december into new year" as mentioned. October maybe, dude has a decent budget though and it's 4 hours from any airport.
Went for new years last year for 4 days - had a blast, scored the point at pools (there's a left and right) with a couple of guys, and had amazing food within walking distance (stayed near Tamboo).
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If I had money for a flight and car to OBX and could tolerate the temps at New Year's and wanted to surf beachbreak, I'd stay in California and drive North. Probably better odds for good conditions, warmer, weapons-grade weed in stores....
If the wind is mellow you can spend the flight and rental money on epic rich people food. If the wind is fucked you can spend the flight and rental money on epic cheap Chinese food and probably turn a shopping center in San Francisco into a modern day Roman Coliseum and stage bumfights like various historical battles.
All my friends like Puerto Rico. If I'm flying from California, in an El Nino year, (more NPAC storms tracking lower, more NE/ENE trades and less E/ESE/SE trades in PR or so locals have told me) off-season Samoa/Fiji/Tahiti/Galapagos is dunking on PR.
If the wind is mellow you can spend the flight and rental money on epic rich people food. If the wind is fucked you can spend the flight and rental money on epic cheap Chinese food and probably turn a shopping center in San Francisco into a modern day Roman Coliseum and stage bumfights like various historical battles.
All my friends like Puerto Rico. If I'm flying from California, in an El Nino year, (more NPAC storms tracking lower, more NE/ENE trades and less E/ESE/SE trades in PR or so locals have told me) off-season Samoa/Fiji/Tahiti/Galapagos is dunking on PR.
PR is not cheap at all, it can be cheap but in general not cheap. The area around Rincon is full of crowds/learners and is much more sheltered and far less consistent that other areas like aguadilla and Isabela. Depending when and where you surf you can easily avoid crowds especially if you are willing to drive around.
PR is a very inexpensive trip if you live on the east coast. Here is the breakdown on my last trip in February:
Airfare Philadelphia to SanJuan: $79.00 round trip x 2 on Spirit.
Airport Parking: $180
Rental car: $360
Gas for rental car: $80
AirBnB: $1,200 for a killer spot near Jobos
Boardbags: $400 fuk you Spirit.
Food: cooked our own and ate at empanada stand. Cost minimal.
My only complaint is the crowds.
Yes, that was my point.
A friend owned a house there n used to to do extended trips - this was decades ago. Typically mid Nov through mid Dec. I’d buy a junker for a few hundred bucks, no registration or anything, n no problems.
I think we've settled on Puerto Rico. Never been. It'll be cheap for us. We don't need fancy things.
Some good snorkeling, historical San Juan, good tarpon fishing in the lagoons/canals if you're into that.
you will have a great trip. For waves i recommend staying in Isabela or Aguadilla and driving down to rincon ifthe waves are good. If you need any recommendation reach out! I might be down in PR at that time too if you wanna get in a session or something
The most consistent surf zone is centered right at the Raphael Hernandez Airport. Be prepared for conditions that can range from knee high sideshore mush to waves that want to kill you. 
There is pretty much always something to ride near the airport while other popular areas can go flat for a week at a time forcing you to drive an hour up to the North Coast if you want to find a surfable wave.
If its just a surf trip, stay near the airport. If its a family trip the non-surfers will be much happier in Rincon.
The shots below are all from within 3 miles of the airport. Gives you an idea of the range of conditions you might encounter.
This day I couldn't even get pictures of the set waves because the rider and wave were always obstructed by a mountain of whitewater in between. 20+foot faces on the biggest sets. Believe it or not this shot was a corner and even that I was standing on top of a picnic table to get the shot.
There is pretty much always something to ride near the airport while other popular areas can go flat for a week at a time forcing you to drive an hour up to the North Coast if you want to find a surfable wave.
If its just a surf trip, stay near the airport. If its a family trip the non-surfers will be much happier in Rincon.
The shots below are all from within 3 miles of the airport. Gives you an idea of the range of conditions you might encounter.
This day I couldn't even get pictures of the set waves because the rider and wave were always obstructed by a mountain of whitewater in between. 20+foot faces on the biggest sets. Believe it or not this shot was a corner and even that I was standing on top of a picnic table to get the shot.
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Villa Montana is friends's wives approved. Never been to PR myself.
You guys have been real helpful thank you.
Any recommendations between the two airports for a nice-ish town with a good beach and surf within a few miles?
Any recommendations between the two airports for a nice-ish town with a good beach and surf within a few miles?
There are plenty of AirBnBs in the area. There is a Courtyard Marriott and Punta Borinquen Resort within walking distance of the airport. I haven't stayed at either but have driven past them a hundred times. I always do AirBnB down there. Charlie Car is my go to car rental place at that airport.