Best Surf Trips from Toronto

Six months of winter is a strong motivator. The best surf escapes from Pearson.

27 spots featured

Toronto surfers have a strong incentive to leave: half the year is unsurfable on the Great Lakes. Pearson Airport (YYZ) makes the escape easy, with direct flights to most of North America's warm-water surf and one-stop access to the rest of the world.

The closest reliable options are quickest: Cabo and Puerto Vallarta are 5 hours, Costa Rica is 6, Barbados and Puerto Rico are 5. Air Canada Rouge runs seasonal direct routes to almost every Caribbean and Mexican beach town worth visiting. These are the February escapes that keep Canadian surfers sane.

For longer hauls, YYZ offers direct flights to Lisbon (7 hours), Tokyo (12 hours), and Hong Kong — opening up Portugal, Japan, and the entire Asia-Pacific surf region. The Toronto-to-warm-water flight inventory is better than most Canadians realize.

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Portugal(5 spots)

Coxos

Ericeira, Portugal

Reef

Coxos is arguably Portugal's best wave—a heavy, hollow right-hand reef/point break in Ericeira's World Surfing Reserve. The wave produces thick, grinding barrels over a rocky...

15°CVery CrowdedAdvancedLIS · 45minSeason: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

View Coxos surf forecast

Nazare

Praia do Norte, Portugal

Big Wave

Nazaré is where surfing's largest waves are ridden—a Portuguese beach break that produces mountainous surf thanks to the Nazaré Canyon, an underwater trench that amplifies...

UncrowdedIntermediateLIS · 90minSeason: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

View Nazare surf forecast

Supertubos

Peniche, Portugal

Beach

Supertubos is Portugal's answer to Pipeline—a savage beachbreak that produces some of the heaviest barrels in Europe. The wave breaks over sand banks shaped by the Nazaré Canyon...

UncrowdedIntermediateLIS · 75minSeason: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr

View Supertubos surf forecast

Ribeira d'Ilhas

Ericeira, Portugal

Point

Ribeira d'Ilhas is the crown jewel of Europe's first World Surfing Reserve—a long, reeling right-hand point break that has hosted Championship Tour events and produced countless...

17°CBusyIntermediateLIS · 45minSeason: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr

View Ribeira d'Ilhas surf forecast

Sao Torpes

Sines, Portugal

Beach

São Torpes is Portugal's quirky surf anomaly—a consistent beach break made famous by a nearby power plant that warms the water several degrees above normal. While this industrial...

17°CModerateBeginnerLIS · 120minSeason: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr

View Sao Torpes surf forecast

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Costa Rica(5 spots)

Witch's Rock

Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Beach

Witch's Rock is Costa Rica's most famous wave—a perfect A-frame beach break inside Santa Rosa National Park that gained worldwide fame in Endless Summer II. Getting here requires...

28°CUncrowdedIntermediateLIRSeason: Apr-Oct

View Witch's Rock surf forecast

Pavones

Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Point

Pavones is one of the longest left-hand point breaks in the world—a legendary wave in remote southern Costa Rica that can run for 800+ meters when conditions align. Getting here...

28°CModerateIntermediateSJO · 360minSeason: Apr-Oct

View Pavones surf forecast

Salsa Brava

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Reef

Salsa Brava translates to "angry sauce," and this Caribbean reef break lives up to its name - the heaviest wave in Costa Rica. When E-NE Caribbean swells hit during winter, Salsa...

27°CModerateAdvancedSJO · 240minSeason: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

View Salsa Brava surf forecast

Playa Negra

Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Reef

Playa Negra is Guanacaste's reef break crown jewel—a long, peeling left that offers some of the most consistent quality surf on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. The wave breaks over a...

28°CModerateIntermediateLIR · 90minSeason: Apr-Oct

View Playa Negra surf forecast

Santa Teresa

Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Beach

Santa Teresa is Costa Rica's open secret that's no longer much of a secret—a once-remote beach town that has blossomed into a world-class surf destination with the yoga studios...

28°CBusyBeginnerSJO · 300minSeason: Apr-Oct

View Santa Teresa surf forecast

Puerto Rico(5 spots)

Rincon

Rincon, Puerto Rico

Reef

Rincon is the undisputed capital of Caribbean surfing—a legendary stretch of coast on Puerto Rico's western tip that lights up during winter NW swells. The area hosts multiple...

27°CVery CrowdedIntermediateSJU · 120minSeason: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

View Rincon surf forecast

Gas Chambers

Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Reef

Gas Chambers lives up to its name—a heavy, hollow reef break that produces some of the most intense tubes in the Caribbean. Located on Puerto Rico's northwest coast near...

27°CBusyAdvancedSJU · 120minSeason: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

View Gas Chambers surf forecast

Domes

Rincón, Puerto Rico

Reef

Domes is Rincón's most photogenic wave—a super-pitchy right that throws over shallow reef right next to the decommissioned nuclear facility dome. When winter swells light up...

27°CBusyIntermediateSJU · 130minSeason: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

View Domes surf forecast

Middles

Isabela, Puerto Rico

Reef

Middles is Puerto Rico's most challenging wave—a fast, powerful reef break that delivers Hawaiian-style barrels on the north coast. The wave breaks hard and fast over shallow...

27°CModerateAdvancedSJU · 110minSeason: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

View Middles surf forecast

Marias

Rincón, Puerto Rico

Reef

Marias is Rincón's long, spread-out right—a wave that connects through multiple sections when good NW swells hit Puerto Rico's west coast. The reef produces fast walls with...

27°CBusyIntermediateSJU · 130minSeason: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

View Marias surf forecast

Barbados(5 spots)

Soup Bowl

Bathsheba, Barbados

Reef

Soup Bowl is widely considered the Caribbean's best wave—a powerful right-hand reef break on Barbados' rugged east coast. When NE groundswells hit this exposed section of...

27°CModerateAdvancedBGI · 30minSeason: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr

View Soup Bowl surf forecast

Freights

South Coast, Barbados

Reef

Freights is Barbados' most accessible quality reef break—a fun, playful right on the island's mellower south coast that offers a welcome contrast to the east coast's intensity....

27°CModerateIntermediateBGI · 25minSeason: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr

View Freights surf forecast

Maycocks

North West Coast, Barbados

Reef

Maycocks is Barbados's answer to J-Bay—a long, perfectly lined-up right that peels along a coral reef on the northwest coast. When clean N-NW swells arrive in winter, the wave...

27°CModerateAdvancedBGI · 40minSeason: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr

View Maycocks surf forecast

Box by Box

Bathsheba, Barbados

Reef

Box by Box is Soup Bowl's heavier neighbor—a grinding left that breaks into shallow reef with serious consequences. This is where Barbados prodigy Zander Venezia honed his skills,...

27°CUncrowdedAdvancedBGI · 35minSeason: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

View Box by Box surf forecast

Batts Rock

St James, Barbados

Reef

Batts Rock is Barbados's west coast secret—a Pipeline-esque reef break that only turns on when rare N swells wrap around the island. When it works, the wave produces thick,...

27°CUncrowdedProBGI · 25minSeason: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar

View Batts Rock surf forecast

Mexico(5 spots)

Sayulita

Nayarit, Mexico

Point

Sayulita is Mexico's surf town sensation—a once-sleepy fishing village that has transformed into the country's most popular beginner surf destination. The right-hand point break...

28°CVery CrowdedBeginnerPVR · 45minSeason: Jun-Sep

View Sayulita surf forecast

Scorpion Bay (Third Point)

San Juanico, Mexico

Point

Third Point is a right-hand point break at Scorpion Bay in San Juanico, Baja California Sur. On suitable swells it can connect towards Second Point for a long ride, but the points...

24°CModerateIntermediateSJD · 480minSeason: Jun-Oct

View Scorpion Bay (Third Point) surf forecast

Las Islitas (Matanchen Bay)

San Blas, Mexico

Point

Las Islitas in Matanchen Bay holds the Guinness World Record for the world's longest rideable wave at 5,700 feet. When conditions align—typically needing a large, long-period...

28°CUncrowdedBeginnerPVR · 180minSeason: Jun-Sep

View Las Islitas (Matanchen Bay) surf forecast

El Faro (Punta Mita)

Punta Mita, Mexico

Reef

El Faro at Punta Mita is a world-class reef break that produces powerful A-frame peaks with hollow sections on both the left and right. Located at the tip of the Punta Mita...

26°CBusyAdvancedPVR · 45minSeason: Jun-Oct

View El Faro (Punta Mita) surf forecast

Punta Burros

Punta Mita, Mexico

Reef

Punta Burros is a powerful left reef break near Punta Mita that delivers fast, hollow waves when WNW swells push through. The wave is known for its speed and power, challenging...

26°CBusyAdvancedPVR · 45minSeason: Jun-Oct

View Punta Burros surf forecast

St Martin(1 spot)

St Lucia(1 spot)

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