Surfing Todos Santos starts with understanding one geographic quirk: the town is not sitting on top of its best-known waves. Cerritos and San Pedrito are south of town around El Pescadero, while La Pastora is reached by heading north. That makes Todos Santos a surf base rather than a one-beach surf town, and where you drive in the morning should depend on swell, wind, ability and what kind of wave you actually want.
This is what separates a Todos Santos surf trip from somewhere like Sayulita.
You do not wake up, walk across the street and surf the same peak every day. The interesting part is having several different Pacific setups within reach of one town.
Cerritos is the easiest to approach. San Pedrito becomes more technical. La Pastora pulls you north toward a more exposed winter-swell experience.
If you are planning a longer trip around the peninsula, my Baja California Sur surf guide covers the larger region. Here, I am keeping the focus tight around Todos Santos.
The Ocean Is Close to Todos Santos, but the Surf Is Spread Out
Todos Santos sits slightly inland from the Pacific on the western side of Baja California Sur.
The historic center is better known for restaurants, galleries, small hotels and its Pueblo Mágico identity than for having surf directly outside downtown.
That is not a disadvantage if you plan for it.
It means you can use the town for evenings, meals and accommodation while choosing the coast according to the forecast.
The mistake is booking Todos Santos while imagining a classic walk-to-the-break surf village.
Drive South When You Want Cerritos or San Pedrito
Most visiting surfers will spend at least some time south of Todos Santos around El Pescadero.
This is where the area’s two most practical surf names sit: Playa Los Cerritos and San Pedrito.
They are geographically close, but they should not be treated as interchangeable.
Cerritos has sand, room, lessons and several wave options. San Pedrito breaks over rock and suits surfers who are already comfortable managing a faster, more consequential lineup.
Cerritos Has More Range Than Its Beginner Reputation Suggests
Cerritos is the obvious first stop because it is the easiest beach around Todos Santos to use across different ability levels.
Surfline rates it from beginner through advanced and describes several different waves depending on the swell.
There is an inside area commonly used by beginners, a more defined wave toward the northern headland and shifting beach peaks farther along the sand.
That variety is more important than simply calling Cerritos a beginner beach.
A first-time surfer taking a lesson in the inside whitewater can be in the water on the same beach where an experienced surfer is looking for a much more powerful outside wave.
The sandy bottom also makes Cerritos fundamentally different from nearby San Pedrito.
A Winter Swell Can Reveal a Different Side of Cerritos
Large west and northwest swells can produce a right off the headland at the north end of Cerritos.
Surfline describes this wave as capable of connecting with the sandbar farther inside, creating a much more performance-oriented session than the beginner zone would suggest.
South and southwest swells work differently.
They can produce A-frame peaks through the bay, while mixed swell can spread waves across a broader portion of the beach.
This ability to receive both northern and southern swell is why Cerritos can surf throughout the year rather than depending entirely on one short season.
It is also why a surfer should look at the forecast instead of assuming Cerritos will resemble the conditions from a previous trip.
If You Are Learning, Cerritos Is Where I Would Keep Things Simple
The area already has surf schools, rental boards and an established learning scene.
That makes more sense for a first lesson than driving around Baja looking for an empty beach that may or may not be suitable.
A beginner needs repetition more than exploration.
If conditions are manageable, spending several sessions at Cerritos gives you time to work on paddling, standing, turning and eventually catching unbroken waves without relearning a new beach every morning.
For other Mexican learning destinations, my guide to beginner surfing in Mexico compares Cerritos with places such as Sayulita, La Lancha and Carrizalillo.
San Pedrito Changes the Conversation
San Pedrito is close enough to Cerritos that it is tempting to think of it as another version of the same surf.
It is not.
The bottom is rocky, the main right can develop a more point-like shape and Surfline rates the break for intermediate to advanced surfers.
The preferred setup is northwest swell, easterly wind and a mid tide, with head-high to double-overhead surf listed as the range where the wave shows more of its character.
That immediately gives San Pedrito a different purpose from Cerritos.
This is somewhere to investigate after you already know how to paddle into unbroken waves, negotiate a lineup and deal with rock beneath the surface.
San Pedrito Gets More Interesting When the North Pacific Wakes Up
The right becomes particularly relevant from roughly October through March as northwest swell becomes more frequent.
Surfline notes that the wave can become highly rippable and point-like during this part of the year.
A strong southern swell can also work, so San Pedrito is not completely dormant during summer.
The wave simply changes shape, becoming peakier and spreading surfers through a broader lineup.
If I were staying around Pescadero and the winter forecast showed clean northwest groundswell, San Pedrito would be one of the first spots I would check.
Do Not Pack for Cabo Water Temperatures Without Checking
The Pacific side around Todos Santos can be surprisingly cool compared with Los Cabos.
Surfline notes that water around San Pedrito can sometimes run roughly five to eight degrees Fahrenheit colder than surf zones farther south.
Upwelling can make that difference especially noticeable from winter into late spring.
That means a sunny Baja forecast does not automatically mean trunks are the correct surf gear.
Check actual water temperature shortly before packing.
Head North From Town When La Pastora Is the Call
La Pastora puts you on the other side of Todos Santos.
The official La Paz tourism office places it approximately 8 to 9 kilometers from the center of town.
Access takes you away from the main highway and onto local roads toward the Pacific, so this is a different morning than driving south toward Cerritos.
La Pastora is known for a right-hand surf setup and is particularly associated with the North Pacific winter season.
Official tourism information identifies November through March as the high season for surfing there.
La Pastora Is the Break I Would Save for a Good Winter Forecast
There is less reason to drive north simply to say you visited another surf spot.
The appeal of La Pastora is what happens when northwest groundswells begin organizing the Pacific.
That makes it more interesting for an independent surfer who can read a lineup than for a beginner looking for predictable lessons.
It is also a more exposed outing than Cerritos.
I would check swell, wind and current access information before making the drive rather than building an entire itinerary around the name.
The official La Pastora beach guide has current local access information.
Punta Lobos Is Close, but That Does Not Make It the Obvious Surf Beach
Punta Lobos is one of the beaches most closely associated with Todos Santos because it sits just outside town.
It is also a working fishing beach where local pangas are launched through the surf.
That is part of the cultural landscape of Todos Santos, but proximity alone is not a reason to choose it over the area’s established surf breaks.
If the goal is surfing, I would rather drive to a break whose setup and conditions I understand than paddle out simply because it is the nearest ocean access.
Winter Pulls the Whole Todos Santos Surf Corridor Into Focus
November through March is the period when the area’s Pacific identity becomes clearest.
La Pastora’s official high season falls inside that window.
San Pedrito gets its strongest run of northwest-swell opportunities from roughly October through March.
Cerritos can receive the same winter energy and develop the right near its northern headland.
That does not make winter universally better.
It makes winter more consequential.
An experienced surfer suddenly has three very interesting directions to investigate. A complete beginner may find that Cerritos remains the only one of those choices relevant to their trip.
Summer Rearranges the Waves Instead of Switching Them Off
The Todos Santos coast still receives surf outside the North Pacific winter season.
Southern Hemisphere swell can reach Cerritos and produce A-frame peaks in the bay.
Strong south swell can also reach San Pedrito.
What disappears is some of the winter emphasis on clean northwest groundswell and the defined right-hand setups associated with it.
This makes Cerritos especially valuable if your travel dates are fixed outside winter.
It has more ways to receive swell than a break dependent on one narrow direction.
There Are Three Sensible Places to Sleep, and They Solve Different Problems
Todos Santos makes sense when you want the town to be part of the vacation. Restaurants, galleries and small hotels are close, and you drive when it is time to surf.
El Pescadero puts you closer to San Pedrito while keeping Cerritos within easy reach. That can be a practical compromise for an independent surfer who expects to use both breaks.
Cerritos removes most of the morning logistics. If you are taking lessons or want to check the same beach several times a day, staying there has an obvious advantage.
I would not choose among them solely from hotel price.
A cheaper room in town can lose some of its appeal if every surf session starts with loading boards into a car.
A Car Is More Useful Here Than Another Board
This coastline rewards mobility.
Cerritos and San Pedrito are south.
La Pastora is north.
Todos Santos sits between them rather than directly on top of any one break.
A rental car lets you use the forecast instead of choosing the wave solely because it is closest.
Some beach approaches involve unpaved roads, so I would confirm both road conditions and what your rental agreement allows before taking a vehicle onto remote access tracks.
Todos Santos Makes More Sense Once You Stop Treating It Like a Surf Town
The value of this destination is the space between the breaks.
You can stay in an actual town, eat well in the evening and still have three very different surf decisions within reach the next morning.
On a small day, that may mean a session at Cerritos.
With clean northwest swell, San Pedrito becomes more interesting.
When winter properly wakes up, La Pastora may justify the drive north.
That geography gives Todos Santos its surf identity.
It is not one beach with a town wrapped around it. It is a Baja base sitting between several pieces of Pacific coastline, and the better trip comes from knowing which direction to drive.
For current conditions, check individual break forecasts before leaving town. Cerritos and San Pedrito have break-specific forecast pages.
Baja California Sur is currently listed by the U.S. State Department at Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution due to terrorism and crime, with no additional state-specific travel restrictions listed for U.S. government employees. Review the latest Mexico Travel Advisory before departure, particularly if the trip involves driving to less-developed coastal areas.