Surfing in Baja California Sur changes dramatically depending on which side of the peninsula you choose. The Pacific coast around Cerritos and Todos Santos receives both winter northwest swell and summer south swell, while Costa Azul and the East Cape near San José del Cabo come alive when southern swells wrap into the Sea of Cortez side. Add Cabo San Lucas, San Pedrito and distant Scorpion Bay, and Baja Sur becomes several surf trips rather than one continuous surf coast.
That is the key to planning this part of Mexico.
You do not simply choose Baja California Sur and then look for waves.
You choose the coast, season and ability level first.
For the larger country-wide picture, start with my guide to surfing in Mexico. This guide focuses specifically on Baja California Sur.
First, Baja California Sur Is Not Northern Baja
Baja California Sur is the southern Mexican state containing Los Cabos, Todos Santos, La Paz, San Juanico and hundreds of kilometers of Pacific and Sea of Cortez coastline.
It is separate from the state of Baja California farther north, where surf destinations include Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada and San Miguel.
That distinction matters when researching surf forecasts, road trips and travel advice.
A guide to surfing northern Baja will not tell you when the East Cape is working, and a Cabo forecast will not help much if you are driving toward Ensenada.
Baja California Sur Surf Areas at a Glance
| Surf Area | Best Fit | Main Swell Window | What Stands Out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerritos | Beginner through advanced | Year-round | Sand bottom, lessons, multiple peaks |
| Todos Santos / Pescadero | Intermediate and advanced | Winter NW plus southern swell | More powerful Pacific breaks |
| Costa Azul | Beginner through advanced depending on break | Spring through fall | Old Man’s, The Rock and Zippers |
| East Cape | Intermediate surfers, longboards, road trips | South-swell season | Right points and warmer water |
| Cabo San Lucas | Intermediate and advanced | Spring through fall | Monuments and exposed southern-tip surf |
| San Juanico / Scorpion Bay | Point-break and longboard trips | Southern swell | Long right-hand point surf |
Cerritos Is the Easiest Baja Sur Surf Beach to Understand
Playa Los Cerritos sits on the Pacific coast south of Todos Santos and is one of the most versatile surf beaches in southern Baja.
Surfline rates Cerritos for beginner through advanced surfers and describes several different waves across the beach.
On larger winter west and northwest swell, a right can form off the northern headland.
South swell creates A-frame peaks farther inside the bay.
Combo swell can spread peaks across much of the beach.
The bottom is sand and access is easy, with parking directly beside the beach.
That combination explains why Cerritos works for lessons, recreational surfers and people who already know what they are doing.
Cerritos Has Separate Waves for Separate Ability Levels
The useful thing about Cerritos is that beginner surfing does not require using the same exact peak as stronger surfers.
The inside near the northern end is commonly used for lessons and beginner practice.
The point becomes more relevant for intermediate surfers and longboarders.
The open beachbreak sections can become considerably more powerful when swell increases.
I would therefore not reduce Cerritos to simply a beginner beach.
It is a multi-level surf beach where the appropriate section changes with experience and swell.
If you are choosing Mexico specifically for your first sessions, compare Cerritos with the other beaches in my guide to beginner surfing in Mexico.
Cerritos Can Surf in Both Winter and Summer
Cerritos does not depend entirely on one swell season.
Winter west and northwest swell reaches the Pacific side directly.
Southern Hemisphere swell can also reach the beach during the warmer part of the year.
Surfline therefore lists Cerritos as a year-round break.
The personality changes with the season.
A winter northwest swell may emphasize the right near the headland, while south swell can produce different peaks through the bay.
This versatility makes Cerritos one of the easiest places to build a Baja Sur surf vacation without needing perfect timing.
Todos Santos Is the Town, but Cerritos Is the Easier Surf Base
Todos Santos and Cerritos are often discussed together, but they serve different purposes.
Todos Santos gives you restaurants, galleries, hotels and a real town.
Cerritos puts you directly beside the easiest all-around surf beach in the area.
If the trip is primarily about surfing every morning, staying closer to Cerritos reduces driving.
If surfing is one part of a broader Baja trip, Todos Santos can make a more interesting base.
My guide to surfing around Todos Santos goes deeper into that part of the Pacific coast.
San Pedrito Is a Step Up From Cerritos
Travel north from Cerritos toward El Pescadero and the surf becomes more serious.
San Pedrito is a rocky point and rivermouth setup rather than the broad sandy beginner environment found at Cerritos.
Local Baja surf guides generally treat it as a wave for experienced surfers rather than a first lesson destination.
Nearby Pacific breaks such as La Pastora can also become powerful when the swell and sand or cobblestone setup line up.
This gives the Todos Santos corridor useful progression.
You can learn at Cerritos without pretending every nearby break is equally forgiving.
Costa Azul Is the Most Convenient Los Cabos Surf Zone
Drive to the San José del Cabo side of the peninsula and the surf setup changes again.
Costa Azul sits immediately south of San José del Cabo and contains several breaks within one compact stretch of coast.
Los Cabos tourism describes the area as one of the region’s main surfing beaches and highlights particularly good conditions from roughly May through October.
The advantage here is variety.
Acapulquito and Old Man’s offer a softer entry into the Costa Azul surf scene.
The Rock becomes more technical.
Zippers is the high-performance wave.
Acapulquito and Old Man’s Are the Beginner Side of Costa Azul
Official Los Cabos tourism information specifically identifies Acapulquito as a beach for beginners and people learning to surf.
Surf schools operate directly in the area, removing much of the logistical guesswork of a first lesson.
The nearby wave commonly called Old Man’s has a softer point-break character than Zippers and is widely used by longboarders and recreational surfers.
That makes San José del Cabo a useful alternative to Cerritos for someone who wants lessons but would rather stay closer to Los Cabos resorts and the airport.
Zippers Is a Completely Different Wave
Move along Costa Azul and the difficulty jumps.
Zippers is one of the best-known performance waves in Los Cabos.
Surfline rates it intermediate to advanced and describes a fast right that begins beside exposed rock before accelerating along a cobblestone reef.
The preferred swell direction is south, with low-to-mid tide and northerly wind among the favored ingredients.
Crowds are a major part of the equation.
Zippers may be geographically close to beginner lessons at Acapulquito, but it is not simply the next peak over for someone who stood up for the first time yesterday.
The East Cape Is Baja Sur’s South-Swell Road Trip
Continue east from San José del Cabo and the coastline becomes much less developed.
This is the East Cape, stretching toward Cabo Pulmo through desert, beaches and a series of right-hand surf setups.
The important seasonal difference is exposure.
Southern swell wraps into this side of the peninsula during the warmer part of the year.
Los Cabos tourism identifies late May through September as the main Sea of Cortez surf window, while individual breaks can work outside those dates when the swell angle is favorable.
If I wanted an East Cape surf trip, I would plan it around south swell rather than assume the winter Pacific pattern applies equally to both sides of Baja.
Nine Palms Is the East Cape Break to Know First
Nine Palms is one of the most recognizable East Cape waves.
Surfline rates it for beginner through advanced surfers, but that broad range needs context.
Below head high, the wave can be slower and softer.
When an overhead summer south swell reaches the point, it turns into a faster right-hand wall with much more performance potential.
South and southeast swell are favored, with a mid incoming tide among Surfline’s preferred conditions.
That makes Nine Palms particularly useful for a mixed group of surfers when the swell is moderate, but ability still needs to match the day’s size.
East Cape Access Is Part of the Surf Decision
The East Cape is where the classic Baja road-trip image starts becoming reality.
Some beaches require driving unpaved roads through sparsely developed coastline.
Official Los Cabos tourism information notes that many East Cape beaches involve sandy or dirt-road access.
A rental car suitable for the route, water, fuel planning and current road information matter more here than they do for a session at Costa Azul.
I would not assume every rental agreement allows driving every unpaved East Cape road.
Check the vehicle terms and local road conditions before turning a surf trip into an expensive recovery problem.
Monuments Is the Cabo San Lucas Performance Option
Cabo San Lucas itself also has real surf.
Monuments is the most obvious performance break close to town.
Surfline describes it as an intermediate-to-advanced left pointbreak where a deep offshore canyon can focus long-period west and southwest swell onto the headland.
The wave breaks over shallow rock, with urchins among the hazards, and commonly deteriorates once afternoon west wind arrives.
This is not the Cabo break I would choose for a first lesson.
It is useful to know because staying in Cabo San Lucas does not automatically mean driving to San José del Cabo or Cerritos every time you want to surf.
Scorpion Bay Is a Separate Baja Sur Surf Trip
San Juanico and Scorpion Bay sit much farther north than Los Cabos and Todos Santos.
I would not casually add them to a three-day Cabo itinerary.
Scorpion Bay is famous for its series of right-hand pointbreaks and the possibility of unusually long rides when southern swell lines up correctly.
The attraction is particularly obvious for longboarders and surfers who value point waves over punchy beachbreaks.
The tradeoff is distance.
San Juanico makes more sense as a destination you deliberately build into a Baja road trip rather than a quick detour from Los Cabos.
If longboarding is the priority, use my guide to the best longboard waves in Baja California to compare point-break options.
Winter and Summer Send You Toward Different Coasts
This is the seasonal rule I would remember.
Winter northwest swell favors the Pacific side.
Cerritos, the Pescadero area and other west-facing breaks are positioned to receive that North Pacific energy.
Summer southern swell increases the importance of Costa Azul and the East Cape.
Long-period south and southeast swell can wrap around the tip of Baja and activate right-hand points that may be quiet during other parts of the year.
Cerritos complicates the rule in a useful way because it can receive both northern and southern swell and surf year-round.
May Through September Is the East Cape Window
If Nine Palms and the East Cape are the reason for your trip, late spring through summer deserves the most attention.
Los Cabos tourism identifies the Sea of Cortez surf season as generally beginning in late May and running through September.
June and July can be particularly productive when consistent southern swell reaches the region.
The water is also significantly warmer than during the Pacific-side winter season.
Heat becomes the other consideration.
If you are driving remote roads in midsummer, water and sun protection belong in the surf plan rather than being treated as optional extras.
Beginners Have Two Particularly Simple Choices
If you are learning, I would narrow Baja Sur down much more aggressively.
Cerritos gives you a sandy bottom, multiple levels of surf, lessons and straightforward beach access.
Acapulquito near San José del Cabo gives you established schools and softer surf within a developed Los Cabos setting.
I would choose between them based on the rest of the vacation.
Cerritos makes more sense for a Todos Santos and Pacific-coast trip.
Acapulquito makes more sense if you want resorts, San José del Cabo and easy airport access.
I would not choose Zippers, Monuments or a remote East Cape point simply because they appear on a list of the best Baja surf spots.
Intermediate Surfers Have the Most Choices
An intermediate surfer can make use of nearly every major Baja Sur zone if the conditions match their ability.
You can surf the point or beach peaks at Cerritos, investigate San Pedrito on the correct day, move toward The Rock and Zippers as your reef and crowd experience improves, and explore the East Cape during manageable summer south swell.
The main skill is knowing when a normally approachable break has changed category because the swell increased.
Baja Sur rewards flexibility much more than blindly following a list of famous spots.
Longboarders Should Match the Board to the Coast
Longboarders have several attractive options here.
Smaller Cerritos can provide softer walls with plenty of room for a longer board.
Old Man’s has a classic recreational point-wave character around San José del Cabo.
Nine Palms can become a long, enjoyable right when the summer swell is appropriate.
Scorpion Bay takes the idea to another level for surfers willing to make the drive north.
The dedicated Baja longboard guide is the better page if board choice is driving the entire trip.
You Do Not Need to Drive the Entire State
The original Baja road-trip image can make people overcomplicate the itinerary.
A useful surf trip does not require driving from Cabo to Scorpion Bay and stopping at every beach along the way.
You can build a complete trip around Cerritos and Todos Santos.
You can build another around San José del Cabo, Costa Azul and the East Cape.
You can make San Juanico the objective of a dedicated point-break trip.
Those are different itineraries, and trying to combine all three can turn a surf vacation into mostly driving.
Baja California Sur Is Currently Level 2 for U.S. Travelers
Travel conditions should also be checked shortly before departure.
As of the current 2026 U.S. State Department Mexico advisory, Baja California Sur is listed at Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution due to terrorism and crime.
The advisory currently lists no additional Baja California Sur travel restrictions for U.S. government employees.
This is different from the separate state of Baja California farther north, which currently has a different advisory level.
Review the latest Mexico Travel Advisory before a road trip, especially if your plan includes remote beaches and long drives.
Choose Your Baja Sur Surf Trip From the Swell Direction
If you want easy beginner logistics, start with Cerritos or Acapulquito.
If you want Pacific-side surf with a Todos Santos base, build the trip around Cerritos and nearby Pescadero breaks.
If you want performance surf without leaving the Los Cabos area, Costa Azul and Monuments become much more relevant.
If you want warm-water right points and a more adventurous trip, time the East Cape for southern swell.
If you want long right-hand point waves and do not mind making the journey itself part of the trip, San Juanico belongs on the shortlist.
The strength of Baja California Sur is not that every coast works at once.
It is that the peninsula gives you radically different surf trips depending on where the Pacific swell is coming from and how far you are willing to travel.
For current regional forecasts, Surfline’s Baja California Sur surf guide provides break-specific conditions across the state. The official Los Cabos surf guide is useful for Costa Azul, Cabo and East Cape planning.