Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Pavones is a leg burner. It’s debatably the second longest left hand wave in the world. When it’s on, it’s epic, and rides over a kilometre long are possible. Pavones has fast barrelling sections and slower breaking big walls.
Pavones lies inside the bay of the Guflo Dulce, and for this reason it needs a big south swell to break and can be fickle. It can be flat for weeks at a time, then spring to life in one day. April to October is the best time to catch some Pavones magic. It will work on a south to southwest swell and east to northeast winds are offshore. Pavones is surfable on all tides, though higher tides mean less shut downs and fewer rocks.
Being one of the longest waves in the world is a big drawcard. When Pavones breaks, swell trackers from all over the Americas will fly in and local expats come out of forest like sharks to a fishing trawler. But do not be put off. Pavones can handle a crowd. Often the wave breaks in sections and not everyone’s legs are up to the long rides.
The Gulfo Dulce is at the southern extreme of Costa Rica and bordering Panama. It is smack in the middle of the Tropics. On land there is dense green rainforest heaving with life, it gets hot and sticky and in the wet season heavy rains deteriorate the roads rapidly.
The closest town of any size to Pavones is Golfito, which can be reached the slow way, via road, or the fast way, via air from San Jose. From Golfito Pavones is a bumpy 2 hour drive with local transport; taxis and 4×4 hire are available. There is a small village near the wave and a number of hotels and surf lodges to stay at.
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