The beaches of Cabo San Lucas and its surrounding areas offer excellent year round surfing conditions, with the top spots shifting according to the seasons. Pacific Coast breaks off Cerritos, San Pedrito, and La Pastora are at their best during the winter, while the area's Sea of Cortez side surf scene heats up during summer months. Beaches like Acapulquito and Costa Azul in San José del Cabo draw the biggest crowds–and scenic Tourist Corridor standout Monuments may be the best known site–while old-hands and expats are more likely to head to lesser known sites like Shipwrecks and Nine Palms on Baja California Sur's East Cape.
Newbie surfers are a common sight at Costa Azul's beginner-friendly middle break. — Photo courtesy of High Tide Sea Expeditions
The center of the Los Cabos summer surf scene is at Zippers, the right-hand beach break off Costa Azul. Zippers hosts the annual Los Cabos Open of Surf–the area's only 6-star ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) sanctioned event returns June 16-22, 2014, with $155,000 and $40,000 in prize money available, respectively, for men's and women's categories–and nearby Zipper's Bar and Grill is the unofficial headquarters for après surf action, with excellent ribs, burgers and tacos, and ice cold bottles of Corona, Pacifico and Victoria beer.
Look down Playa Costa Azul from Zipper's Bar and Grill, between the expert level breaks at Zippers and La Roca, and you'll see newbie surfers testing out their skills at the beginner-friendly middle break. High Tide Sea Expeditions uses the middle break as their umbrella-shaded summer base camp (Cerritos is used in the winter), with Alan Blyth and the rest of the High Tide team teaching proper techniques for paddling out, getting up, riding, and even falling off surfboards.
Instructor and former Mexican national champion Alan Blyth teaches proper techniques during a High Tide surf lesson. — Photo courtesy of High Tide Sea Expeditions
Blyth transitions well between Costa Azul's beginner and expert breaks. As a former surf champion of México, and the winner of other important national tournaments, he's able to hold his own when the world's best come to Los Cabos. But he's also a talented teacher, and everybody, regardless of age or disability, is up and riding by the end of their first three hour lesson with High Tide.
Amenities like round trip hotel transportation, wetsuits and equipment, and a shaded camp with bottled water round out the overall surf experience, and after a few more lessons, visitors may want to sign up for one of High Tide's occasional surfaris to Nine Palms and Shipwrecks. High Tide also offers an array of other activities options, including kayak or stand up paddle boarding trips to Land's End and Lover's Beach, city tours, and jeep explorations of picturesque places like Cabo Pulmo, Santiago, and Todos Santos.
