Stormrider Guide to surfing Mar del Plata

Argentina, SOUTH AMERICA

Playa Grande, Javier Amezaga

Summary

+ Spot concentration	- Crowded urban spots
+ Break diversity	- Summer surfing bans
+ Many wind and swell options	- Freezing winters
+ Wide range of accommodation	- Built up and polluted

Second largest country on the South American continent, Argentina counts around 300km (186mi) of surfable beaches, most of them located in Buenos Aires Province. The east side of the country called Pampas, consists mainly of grassy plains while the country's western regions climb into the vertiginous Andes. Argentina recently celebrated 40 years of surfing at a variety of breaks ranging from natural pointbreaks to man-made jetties. Mar del Plata stands as the main summer getaway for "Porteños" escaping their Buenos Aires lives. The city beaches stretch over 8km (5mi), but dozens of piers and jetties bisect the coastline into many surf spots.

When to Go

Most of the swell comes from Roaring Forties wintertime depressions that send 3-12ft (1-4m) of swell before tracking east towards Africa. In the summer, constant NE winds will send smaller and inconsistent windswells between November and February. Summer dominant NE winds typically blow offshore in the morning before shifting onshore between 12-5pm. NW winds dominate in autumn before SE takes over in September/October. The indented shape of the coast and the numerous jetties help shelter from strong winds, but as a rule the best sessions occur when the winds go back to blowing offshore after the howling SE’er that sent the swell. Tides should be watched closely as they can make quite a difference on certain breaks.

Surf Spots

The highest concentration of these man-made wave-breakers is on the north side of town and the best break in this area is certainly La Pepita. It’s a wide beach south of the main bay, where tubular righthanders will line-up perfectly under the right conditions. Unfortunately, such days will attract great crowds, and bad vibes are not uncommon. Below La Pepita starts another bay where jetties mark the spots' limits. The most famous one is aptly named La Popular and local bodyboarders are all over these little hollow peaks. The next bay used to host the “Rincon-esque” Cabo Corrientes pointbreak, remembered as the best wave in Argentina, but one too many jetties have made it a thing of the past. North of the city's port, Playa Grande is renowned for its consistency and has several breaks where contests are regularly organised. Next to the northern pier, a regular current takes you to Biologia's line-up. This left pointbreak works particularly well with a NE swell and will be offshore with summertime’s frequent W/NW winds. Across the bay, Yacht is protected from winter's southern winds, which makes it possible to ride this long, classic right when most of the other spots are blown out. A sandbank regularly forms at the entrance of the port, creating a wave going right from the Escollera Sur (south breakwater). Because swells hit there with full force, it's one of the best spots to ride big waves in the country. Seals hang out around here and like to follow surfers as they ride. Sitting south of the port, Waikiki deserves to be mentioned as it hosted the first Argentinean surf session back in 1963. The place was known as Kikiway back then and the surf club bearing that name still exists today. It's not an impressive wave, but is still the best place for beginners or longboarders looking for a small but fun right. On the other side of Punta Cantera, Mariano is quite the opposite, a powerful and barrelling reefbreak only tackled by expert surfers and bodyboarders. Just as tubular and only ridden with the largest swell, Diva is a queen of the coast when it reels perfectly in front of the lighthouse. The sections, named Maquinita and Horizonte, can be considered waves of their own and served as the contest site for the 1999 Pan-American games. South of Mar del Plata the coast bends to face the SE and therefore has better exposure to S swells. Requiring a walk down the cliff and a long paddle, Off the Wall is a treacherous right breaking over a flat rock. These super-fast barrels ranging between 6-12ft (2-4m) usually find few takers, especially as the high tide makes entry and exit virtually impossible. La Paloma, the next break south, is equally admirable and excellent, where tubing rights break on a regular basis but more challenging access keeps the crowds down. Comparatively the next spots lack intensity, but Luna Roja is a consistent lefthander beside a beautiful beach and Paradise's pointbreak rights are long and hollow. Both spots break over rock bottoms and will have tubing waves with NW winds. The only city of any size between Mar de Plata and Miramar, Chapadmalal, is home to Las Cuevas, which includes a decent left reef, a nice but shallow right and good beachbreak peaks in between. Like Mar del Plata, Miramar has been inundated with jetties, resulting in plenty of beachbreak options. It also has a proper pier, which accounts for the long rights of El Muelle. This wave will accommodate large S swells without closing out.

Statistics

dominant swell

NE -S

E -S

NE -S

swell size (ft)

2-3

4-5

2-3

consistency (%)

dominant wind

N -NE

NW -NE

NW -N

NW -NE

average force

F3-F4

consistency (%)

water temp (C)

wetsuit

3/2

4/3

5/4

3/2

Travel Information

Weather
Stretching as far north as the Tropic of Capricorn all the way to the Cape Horn, Argentina knows a wide diversity of climate. The coastal central area is relatively humid with great variations in temperatures. The winter is dry and cold with temperatures remaining between 5-13°C (41-56°F) in July/August. It's possible to go snowboarding between July and September. Rainfalls are more pronounced in the east of the country than in the west and shallow summer flooding is not uncommon in the flat Pampas areas. The bay of Miramar enjoys a great climate, as it seems to receive fewer storms than MDP. The water gets real cold in the peak wave season. Between June and August a 5/4/3 fullsuit complete with booties, gloves and hood is what it takes to avoid freezing in 9°C (48°F) waters. 3/2 fullsuits are good between seasons before summer (December/February) allows springsuits and maybe even quick dips wearing only trunks.

Lodging and Food
Among 700 lodging options in MDP, Hotel Electra ($15/p), Hostería San Valentín ($25/dble) and Hotel Traful ($75/dble) are all close to the central beaches and La Pepita. The classier Gran Hotel Iruña has rooms with views to the beaches next to La Popular for $120/dble. Argentina's beef is the best in the world.

Nature and Culture
MDP in summer is as packed as a city can be and everything revolves around hanging-out at the beach, bar-hopping around Plaza Mitre and dancing the rest of the night. Hang out around the port or visit the Museo del Mar, which displays over 30,000 shells. Juan Manuel Fangio has his own museum in Balcarce.