| Country | Currency | Safety |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Pesos | Organized crime, Banditos, Driving at Night |
| U. S. | U.S. Dollars | Violent crime, theft. |
| Costa Rica | Colones | Theft, use caution at night, driving hazards. |
| Barbados | Barbadian Dollars |
Safe, but getting more dangerous. |
| Dominican Republic |
Dominican Pesos |
Caution at night. Driving hazards. |
| Puerto Rico | U.S. Dollars | Violent crime, theft. |
| Place | Wetsuit | Wave Size |
|---|---|---|
| Baja | Full, Booties, Trunks | waist high to giant |
| California | Spring, Full, Booties |
waist high to giant |
| Florida | Trunks, Spring, Full |
waist high to overhead |
| Costa Rica | Trunks | waist high to double overhead |
| Barbados | Trunks, Top | waist high to double overhead |
| Dominican Republic |
Trunks, Top | waist high to triple overhead |
| Puerto Rico | Trunks | waist high to giant |
Crossing the border at San Ysidro into Mexico is often an act that elicits mixed emotions. The first feeling is of exhilaration and excitement of being in a different country, then there is some anxiety because Mexico is not the safest place in the world, and if you’re the driver then you have the stress of driving in the third world where the signs are in a different language, and there are not always clearly designated lanes. However, getting to the top of the hill which overlooks the empty field with the INS trucks waiting to get border crossers and then soon to the Tijuana Beach cities with the bull fighting arena, the excitement of being in Mexico with the prospect of getting some good, empty surf takes over.
Going south there are the polluted barrels of Baja Malibu, Rosarito, K-38, K-55, La Fonda, Salsipuedes, and San Miguel. Rosarito is a party town and has plenty of tourists, places to stay, and to eat. It also has some decent surf spots. K-38 is one of the most famous and popular breaks in Northern Baja so it gets crowded. La Fonda is a very fun beach break wave that gets a lot of people on the weekends, but there are usually plenty of peaks. Salsipuedes used to have a campground on a bluff overlooking a peak and also has an inconsistent right hander. Unfortunately there is no longer access to this wave. San Miguel is a right hand cobble stone point break which can get very good and crowded. The campground is decent and there is a bar/restaurant that sometimes has live music. San Miguel is also close to Ensenada, which is a nice city with plenty to do and see. Also worth checking out is La Bufadora which has great lobster, a blow hole and supposedly a good wave somewhere around there.
South of Ensenada, Baja California becomes less populated and has good camping and surf spots near Colonet. Quatros Casas is a good destination, there is also a decent right next to a large metal shipwreck not too far from Quatros Casas. Further south are other well-known spots like Punta Abre Ojos, Scorpion Bay, and eventually the breaks of Cabo San Lucas and Los Cabos.
There are plenty of dangers in Baja California and the travelling surfer should be aware of them. Driving at night is not advised. There are plenty of stories of U.S. tourists getting killed in car accidents. If you are in an accident then you may be taken to the police station before you’re taken to where you really need to go, the hospital. You are guilty until proven innocent in Mexico so it is best to be very cautious and of course obey all of the laws. Police can sometimes be corrupt, there are also banditos, organized crime, poverty, Montezuma’s Revenge, theft, running out of gas, car breaking down, getting stuck in the mud, sand, etc. Also, cows in the road can be a problem in some parts.
The water is colder in Baja than it is in San Diego so a full suit is recommended, booties in the winter time, maybe a spring suit in the summer, and trunks in and around Cabo San Lucas. Any type of board imaginable can find a place to be used in Baja California even a rhino chaser or tow-in board at Todos Santos.