North Nicaragua

The Miramar area offers a variety of waves - pointbreaks, reefbreaks, jetty breaks, and beachbreaks - but its the left pointbreak that is actually called Miramar. The best swells for Miramar are from the SW to S, ideally SW. The point favors mid to long-period, single swells, whereas the other beachbreaks around it favor combo swells and a mix of swell periods for peakier shape. Around Miramar itself, there are several spots within walking distance.1. Miramar Point is a reef pointbreak left that holds the most swell in the area. It has three main takeoff spots -- two on the outside during bigger swells, offering either a short, steep right or a long left that breaks all the way through to the inside. The outside works at low tide and can hold sizeable swells. When the swell is smaller and during higher tides, the inside and third takeoff zone can get pretty good. This inside section -- best between waist to head-high -- is a fast, reefy left that goes into shallow rocks.2. Pipes is just up the beach from Miramar Point, with rights breaking toward mostly sand-bottom and a peeling left that breaks over a reef. Pipes can get very hollow and fast, especially the rights that wedge up from the takeoff zone. Pipes works best on a falling mid-tide and an incoming low tide. 3. The Breakwater is a break (fairly new) just north of Pipes due to the construction of a big/long breakwater. Due to reflection off the breakwater, there are fun wedging peaks in this zone with rights and lefts to pick off. 4. Shacks is a very fast, well-shaped left that breaks over sharp reef and can get very hollow. It works best on mid-going-high tide. This wave does not work well with a low tide, as it tends to section out and get very shallow, especially when breaking closer in on small days. This is the most difficult wave to surf in this list (aside from Puerto Sandino) when it's pumping, but also the most rewarding.5. Shifty's is about 80 yards of beachbreak (sand-bottom) just on the south side of the reef platform at Shacks that favors the mid-to-high tides and consists of shifty peaks and bowls, hence the name. Fun but fairly quick rights and lefts offer a variety of barrels, lips and ramps. Just outside of Shifty's is a reef that helps break up the incoming swell lines and form the peaky surf. Sometimes this outside reef will offer a decent left and right on bigger swells and lower tides, but it is usually fat and slopey.

Puerto Sandino is one of the, if not the longest wave in Nicaragua. However, it can sometimes be difficult to catch it good, as it is way out in the middle of open water and very exposed to the wind from any direction. The initial takeoff zone to the end of the wave usually averages over 300 yards when it's on. It is mostly a sand-bottom break, however, there are rock/reef sections at certain points along this long wave. These intermittent areas of sand and reef allow for a variety of barrel and wally sections throughout the length of the ride. Boat access is highly recommended, as the wave starts in front of a large rivermouth almost a half-mile from the shore, currents can be strong, and having help if someone gets hurt. Due to Puerto Sandino's location, it picks up more swell than the nearby breaks, often producing sets that are several feet bigger. Its magic size is around eight-ten feet on the face. Although, due to the consistency of the sandbars, it can hold more size with the right swell direction and winds. The best time to surf this wave is the incoming tide push and with calm or light offshore winds. The ideal swell direction for Puerto Sandino is SSW, but does fine with S or SW too. Located due west from the very top end of Lake Nicaragua, the Puerto Sandino area still enjoys the benefits of the lake effect offshores that Nicaragua is known for. Peak season is from April through September.

The crescent-shaped cove provides a beautiful backdrop to a lineup that offers multiple peaks that tend to bounce off of a few rocks scattered just outside the takeoff zone. Although the best, biggest and most common swells are from the SW or SSW, Transito can also handle the occasional WNW swell during winter (as long as it's under 290 degrees). The best periods are anything from 16 seconds or under. Over 16 seconds and it tends to shut down, since the beach is fairly small. The extremely consistent El Transito break can be good all year round, just as long as it stays under a couple feet overhead. This spot is usually pretty fun in the offseason (November to March), as the swells are usually smaller during that time of year and more suitable for the break. There is a small point on the south end of the beach (similar to Machete Point at Playa Maderas) with a rock/sand bottom that works on mid-period SSW swells. The wave on the main beach (sand bottom) is typically mellow, with softer barrel sections and medium-length waves suitable for all levels of surfers. El Transito is best from waist-high to about one-foot overhead and on a mid-tide, however, it will break on most tides. The tide swings here are drastic, so the peaks will often change completely. The predominant offshore winds (250+ days/year) are best from the E-NE. These offshores rarely get too strong here as it's further north (so hardly ever any upwelling). There are other breaks within walking distance or a short boat ride. Hemmies (if you dare) is a 15-minute boat ride to the south. About a 30-minute boat trip to the north, there is the increasingly popular break of Puerto Sandino, which is one of the longer lefts in Nicaragua, offering about 300-yard rides on the best days. There are other gems within walking distance, like a barreling righthand wedge that rarely goes flat, and a little-known big wave slab that shows up on the larger, longer-period swells.

Pioneered in the late 1990s by Miami expat surfer Shay O’Brien, who founded Chancletas Beach Resort with his wife Loretta and three daughters in 2003, The Boom earns its namesake season after season as the premier, booming beachbreak in Northern Nicaragua — where it’s nearly impossible to not get barreled. Everyone gets barreled at The Boom. It has been likened to a miniature Puerto Escondido for a myriad of reasons: its hollow, dredging, backdrafting peaks; its shifting sandbars and rip-strewn nature; its startling consistency; its three main zones: Coconuts to the north, Powder Puffs to the south and The Boom proper in the middle; its outside canyon which serves to magnetize swells; and its tendency to go onshore in the afternoons — unlike other, offshore-300-days-a-year Nicaraguan beachbreaks that benefit from the Lake Managua effect. However, those same afternoon onshores are actually preferred by many visitors seeking a high-performance encore to their morning tube bonanza. The Boom’s wedging ramps are an aerialist’s dream. On one hand, The Boom doesn’t hold much more than two or three-feet overhead before waves start washing through and doubling up. On the other hand, The Boom can often turn smaller, more pedestrian swells into overhead, peaky perfection while the more celebrated beachbreaks dish out nothing but Papagayo-dusted closeouts.