Manzanillo

Surf Guide

If you're up on your surf travel history, you might recognize Manzanillo as the left pointbreak that Archy, Foo, and Brock caught pretty small in a feature for SURFER magazine in 1992. You'd be forgiven, too, if Manzanillo isn't the first, second, or third spot that comes to mind when thinking about Nicaragua, as it is one of the Pacific side's most fickle waves. When it's on, however, it's one of the best waves in the country. Manzanillo requires both a very specific swell direction from the South-West and a certain size before it begins to show its true form. (The wrong direction can render it mushy or a closeout, or occasionally both.) Suffice it to say if you're only in Nicaragua for a short trip you probably won't score the place; if you do you're one lucky SOB. Stick around in country for a solid block of time, however, and you should definitely keep Manzanillo on your radar. It used to be that Manzanillo was boat access only, but there is a mega (and we mean MEGA) resort, called Mukul, nearing completion just north of the point. At this point, we cannot say if public parking will be available at the resort, but it's probably safe to say that it will not be. So in the end, the old way of getting there by boat is still probably the best plan of attack.