Best Surf Trips from Washington DC

High-income DC travelers have three airports and enough route choice to wait for better surf.

30 spots featured

Washington DC has three useful airports, high travel demand, and enough schedule flexibility among professionals to support last-minute surf trips. That makes it a strong forecast-led market.

Puerto Rico and Barbados are efficient Atlantic escapes. Costa Rica and Mexico work when warm water and consistency matter. Portugal and Morocco are excellent shoulder-season Atlantic options, while Hawaii is a longer but realistic high-upside trip.

The DC advantage is airport choice. Search the whole region, compare surf quality at the destination level, and do not commit until the 10-day window shows the trip is worth it.

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USA(5 spots)

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Nicaragua(5 spots)

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 shifting sand banks, creating hollow,...

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

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 a very long way when conditions align. Getting...

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

Mexico(4 spots)

Puerto Rico(2 spots)

Morocco(2 spots)

Barbados(2 spots)

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