Cabarete is broadly known as a wind-devotees heaven because of the apparently endless wind. But did you know that surfing in Cabarete is just as common? Thanks to a steady Atlantic swell, the north shore of the Dominican Republic is blessed with waves 350 days a year, fascinating surfers from all around the global.
Located about 10 minutes west of the center of town Encuentro, Cabarete’s main surf beach has good acces.. Encuentro has several spots suitable for kids, beginner, middle and advanced surfers. There is a nice group of competent surf schools that offer private lessons and board rental. The waves are best from October through April. Unpredictably, the meticulous time frame that a large piece of the world wants to outflow the rain, cold, and sadness of winter. So, here’s your prompt: Drain your wetsuit, put on some suncream, and get ready to surf and kite in Cabarete!
A Little History Lesson:
Cabarete was made famous to surfers and kiters by a Canadian windsurfer in the 1980s. Jean Laporte was accurately blown away by the trade winds that, like wind-up, smash the town of Cabarete every afternoon. He wrote several articles for Voire Libre magazine about this quiet fishing town turned windsurfing mecca and subsequently Cabarete left on to host the Professional Windsurfing World Championships through the 80s and 90s. This brought thousands of Kiters and Surfers to the north coast of the Dominican Republic, and paradise began to improve.
Aside from the wind, Cabarete is an ideal spot for watersports/paddle boarding, because of the gentle water, soft currents, and lack of dangerous sharks. Once the word spread and the settings were discovered further, the surfers jammed the wind and sometime in the late 1990s they started to come. Localism in some of the granddaddy surf destinations of Hawaii and California in the 80s and 90s made it unbearable for guests to even paddle out unless they were eager to put up a contest. So, the overabundance of unfilled reef breaks with perfectly peeling waves dispersed along the shores of Cabarete were quite a service at the time.
Appreciatively, the Cabarete surf vibe has continuously been very smooth. The inhabitants are known to be reverential and cooperative to guest– so long as they track the instructions of the waves. Since we would comparable to make undisputable everyone has a good time out there, we we’ll do you a favor and clarify the universal surfing rules below:
Rules of the Waves:
Make Friends
Ask the local surfers or owners of surf schools which break is best for your ability. Playa Encuentro has several reef breaks and designated areas for kids, beginners, intermediate, and advanced surfers. If you are surfing a foam top long board, don’t get in the way of the advanced short boarders shredding overhead waves. You’ll get hurt, they’ll get mad. So don’t be afraid to ask and make some friends in the meanwhile.
Don’t Drop In
If someone is already riding a wave or they are at the peak of the wave do not, and we repeat, DO NOT drop into their wave. This is the biggest surfing faux pas! One that will quickly land you a bad reputation, or even worse, a board to the face! If you are sure it is your wave feel free to communicate with your fellow surfers by yelling “voy” which means, “I’m going” in Spanish.
Respect the Locals
This is their break, so be friendly and courteous. There is nothing worse than a tourist busting up in the beach like they own the place. Not to mention, it’s not a great way to make friends. See Rule #1.
Wait Your Turn
They call it a line up for a reason. Try not to budge, even when you see others snaking a wave out of turn. It’s bound to happen because there is always that one. But you don’t want to be that guy, right? If you are unsure of what’s going on out there, See Rule #1 and ask surfers coming out of the water after just finishing a session. A quick, “Hey, how’s the crowd?” or, “Bro, did you get plenty of waves?” or even, “Is there much room out there?” will give you a feel for the vibe and how to approach the line up before you even get into the water.
