Surf in Punta de Mita

In front of the fishing village, El Anclote is a slow right over rock and dead coral that needs a solid south swell and suits beginners and longboarders; Stinky's, just east of the harbour, also wants south swell and ranges from soft to fairly quick. Along the coast road, La Lancha is the most consistent wave in the bay: several reef peaks, mostly rights, friendly for most levels on normal days. Palmitas, a few minutes' walk further, is a sandbank peak for experienced surfers that likes mid to high tide and short-period north swell.

Punta Burros has longer, punchier rights over smooth rock for intermediates and up. On the tip, La Bahía (the Cove) picks up almost any swell but sits behind gated land, so most surfers arrive by panga, and El Faro, the lighthouse right, only wakes up on big north swells and suits advanced surfers. Summer south-west swells light up the bay breaks, while winter north-west swells bring cleaner, smaller days and switch on El Faro and Palmitas. Water runs from about 22 °C in March to 31 °C in late summer. Reef, urchins and low-tide rocks are the common hazards, plus boat traffic around the harbour.

Most breaks here face roughly south, so around midday the sun sits over the water and everything is backlit. Early morning is the time for faces: the rights run east, towards the sunrise, so standing on the sand east of a peak puts the light behind you and the riders coming towards the camera. Late afternoon turns the line-ups into backlit spray and silhouettes.

From the beach, El Anclote and La Lancha are close enough for 100–400 mm (full-frame equivalent), while Punta Burros is better with 200–500 mm from the sand east of the point. The outer reefs are best shot from a boat: a panga ride to La Bahía or El Faro gives low angles from the channel, as long as the driver keeps well off the line-up. Swimming with a housing is easiest at La Lancha on a normal day; the shallower reefs are for experienced water shooters only.

From Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR), take Highway 200 north, turn off towards Punta de Mita and follow the coast road through La Cruz de Huanacaxtle; allow 45 minutes to an hour. El Anclote and Stinky's are in the village, while La Lancha and Punta Burros are reached by short jungle trails from the coast road. Pangas for the outer reefs leave from El Anclote beach. Surf schools, rentals and restaurants are in the village; the trail beaches have no services.