Cerritos Surf – Todos Santos

August 29, 2009 by  
Filed under Activities

Surf Instruction at Cerritos

Surf Instruction at Cerritos

If you are a surfer, you are probably already aware that there are several surf breaks in and around Todos Santos that can be, at times, world class. The top three surfing spots are, in no particular order, Cerritos, El Pedrito and La Pastora. Each offers its own pros and cons and each is undoubtedly a favorite among locals, depending on who you talk to. This post is about Cerritos.

General. Santa Lucia de Los Cerritos, better known as “Cerritos”, is arguably the best known surf spot near Todos Santos due to the ease of access. Cerritos offers a beach break and a rocky point break off its cliff. Controversial changes are underway at this much-loved beach. Having received title to the land, the local ejido has been selling property near the beach. What has historically been a surf camping mecca, now features a 12 room cliff top boutique hotel known as the Hacienda Cerritos and, three miles south near KM75, a new real estate development, with 123 home development is underway, Tortuga del Sol.

Hacienda Cerritos

Hacienda Cerritos

Cerritos development

Tortuga del Sol

los_cerritos_bar

Los Cerritos Bar

Cerritos also has a beach bar and restaurant that can accommodate north of 100 people. Campers and RVers who set up camp were asked to leave in late 2006, and the Los Cerritos Club bar and beach restaurant opened in 2007. How you feel about these changes will say much about your personal preferences.  Whatever your opinion on whether this is for the good of the community, this beach is now more accessible to a broader group of people (e.g., your family won’t get bored while you surf).

The Waves. Cerritos offers a beach break and a point break, with great waves for beginners and advanced surfers, catering to short- and longboarders.  During the winter, the northwest swell powers a classic point break, and the typically mushy but at times classic beach break works all year. The point fires a fast and peaky wave that generally breaks right, favoring a northwest swell. As you might suspect, the right point break is often the most competitive, but there are typically plenty of waves on the inside. Depending on the swell and sandbar, you can often catch some nice tubing lefts. Cerritos tends to break steadily with no frequent lulls between sets sometimes making paddling out through the white water difficult, especially for beginners; however, the advantage of the whitewater is that it offers a great place to learn how to surf and surf instruction can be easily arranged. The Los Cerritos Surf Shop (Degollado and Rangel, a half block up the hill from Miguel’s) rents boards at the beach dawn till dusk. Sheltered by Punta Pescadero at its north end, the beach is also usually safe for swimming and boogie boarding depending on the swell.  At times novice surfers tend to forget that the surf can be dangerous. Unfortunately, there are a few drowning every year by those who don’t take the proper precautions.

Location. Cerritos is located on the Pacific side off the on the Transpeninsular highway from Cabo San Lucas to Todos Santos near KM64 where a new official road sign points the way. It takes about 45 minutes to reach Cerritos when driving from Cabo San Lucas or about 15 minutes from Todos Santos (Cerritos is 12.8 km/8 mi south of Todos Santos). To reach the beach you must turn off of the highway towards the Pacific on a now wide dirt road. From the turn, it’s  2.7KM (1.7 miles) southwest until you reach the sandy parking area. A 4×4 is not neceesary.

Water Temperature and Weather. Most of the year the Pacific Ocean in Baja California Sur is typically warm enough for shorts and a rashguard. However, a spring suit or top is always nice to have on those chilly mornings in the dead of winter, January through March.  In late May and June many visitors are caught off guard when the water temperature can drop 10-15 degrees due to Aleutian Current. A 3/2 fullsuit is often essential for these 2 months. Click HERE for more info on the weather and water temp.

Forecast. For more information on Cerritos, including current conditions and forecasts, you can check HERE. I don’t speak to the reliability of this forecast. Best bet is to check the break yourself.

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Welcome to the website for CalyCanto, offering Todos Santos vacation rentals and information about the area. We operate a boutique community, currently consisting of 3 casitas in Todos Santos, each with ocean views, about 2.5 miles from the town center, on the way La Pastura, a world class surf break. We at CalyCanto are passionate about eco-friendly travel that provides us with succulent surfing, pristine beach combing, intimate restaurants, exotic bird watching, super special sunsets, horseback riding on the beach, local tours and activities that support the local community. We believe in causing the least harm (approaching zero) while doing business. Environmentalism, sustainability and a commitment to protecting the natural environment through activism are part of our mission as we work to continually reduce our carbon footprint. We hope you'll follow our adventure here, on Twitter and on Facebook while you enjoy your coffee (or tea) or drink a Pacifico (if you've already made it here). If the tequila gets passed around the table too much, gringos might try and spell CalyCanto like calicanto, calecanto, or cal y canto. However you spell it, you are always welcome at Calycanto Casitas. Thank you for visiting.