Best Surf Beaches in Popotla

Renes is a beach break near Popotla, the fishing village just south of Rosarito. The sand is broken up by rocks along the shore, so the takeoff and paddle-out need a quick look before you go in. It picks up the same swell as the better-known reefs nearby and is often a quieter option when they are crowded.

El Morro sits at kilometer 37.5, just north of the K-38 reef in the Popotla corridor. It is a rocky point that is easy to see from the road, which also means it fills up quickly when it is breaking. At low tide more rock is exposed and the wave gets less forgiving.

K-38 takes its name from the kilometer marker on the road south of Rosarito, and it is one of the most consistent waves in northern Baja. A right breaks over a rocky reef and can link into a long wall on a good day, with a left also working on some swells. It picks up swell from the south through the northwest, so there is usually something to ride. Expect a crowd when it is good, rocks and urchins on the entry, and water quality that drops after rain.

Alfonsos is a reef break near Popotla, a few kilometers south of Rosarito, with both lefts and rights depending on swell angle. The lineup is studded with rock, so it suits surfers who can read where the reef sits on the inside and pick a clean channel out. Summer south swells are when it is most reliable.

Popotla is a small fishing village just south of Rosarito, known for its fresh seafood stalls on the sand. The reef in front of the village breaks on west swell and gets shallow and chunky at low tide, when the rocks become a bigger factor. It is an advanced reef, not a learn-to-surf beach.

Calafia is the right-hand point below the Calafia hotel and restaurant on the cliffs south of Rosarito, and for many surfers it is the first stop on the drive down the free road. A solid south to southwest swell makes it work best, and it can handle the daily northwest wind better than the open beaches. The bottom is rock, the shorebreak can be awkward, and water quality is only fair.