Dominican Republic

http://swellsurfcamp.com/index.html

Been looking at this place in DR Looks pretty nice I seen the add for the place on this site

 

Here are a few options from the Swellinfo Surf Vacation Rentals Section:

Dominican Republic Surf Vacation Rentals

 

I went for the mega swell of 07 and let me tell you DR is my new Carribean surf spot. Not only are the locals welcoming of respectful surfers, they are willing to share their island with you. (Since I know how to surf well they WANTED to surf with me to help improve their skills). My suggestion would be to stay at Ali's surfcamp( Cabarete surf camp) in Cabarete. Although, I thought Ali was standoffish at first, after talking to him he is doing a GREAT thing for the community. He sponsors any local kid wanted to surf and allows them to use his boards as well as provide them with jobs teaching lessons. I cannot say the same for other camps as I did not see they same effort and quality from them. For a very very modest $400 he will pick you up from the airport. Use of a awesome selection of boards (over 20 shortboards), day trips to encuentro (4 waves) or other breaks, presiosa( the most beautiful beach i have ever seen and an AWESOME left). Also, breakfast and dinner are included. His little camp is not your typical surf camp but rather its own little community. I can say DR is one of the best trips Ive ever been on. I can't wait to get back there, the surf is EMPTY and perfect outside encuentro. The only drawback is the tradewinds which kick up Daily at 10am on the dot 11 if your lucky. But there are so many nooks and crannys to be discovered and with the help of a friendly local you WILL score. Good luck and if you do go, please be kind to the locals as we dont want to turn this place into another Puerto Rico.

 

Fupa how would it be if the wife came but only shot photos and chilled on the beach? place looks great

 

If you are asking if its ok for the wife to go to that surf camp then yeah but i would suggest upgrading to the apt accom as the bungalows a bit primitive (no AC). It would be fine for the wife because there is TONS to do in Cabarete besides surfing. She will most likely meet people from the camp to hang on the beach with too. The europeans spends months there at a time. Also like I said unless u find something sheltered you will be done surfing by 11am anyway. Maybe an evening glass off or low wind day if your lucky. Cabarete is one of the best kite surfing places in the world if you into that as well. Lastly, if you do go with the wife, Presiosa is a must. EXCELLENT fresh chicken and fresh pina coladas on the beach on the other side Presiosa aka Playa Grande (good beach break too). Sorry to go on such a long tangent but I love the people, food, country and waves. Just stay away from the pickpocket hookers in Cabarete late at night LOL.

 

the DR

I've been to the DR over 25x. All trips except 2x (Santo Domingo to play ball in Pan Am Games) were for surfing on the north coast.

North coast is the only place worthwhile for decent surf. However, a couple of corrections to the guy who was there 1x.

Ali's surf camp is not near the beach. It's on the lagoon (inland) side of the road near the center of Cabarete. It's a 15 min drive to Encuentr0 - - you can't walk it, too far. Def more of a surfer hangout place, i.e., you probably wouldn't want to bring the wifey here.

A much better choice is Hotel Magnifico. I've stayed here over 20x. Pick a condo, stock up at the market nearby & enjoy - - look up the reviews on TripAdvisor.com. www.hotelmagnifico.com I strongly recommend Penthouse 5 or Penhouse 6. Very reasonable prices. Advance reservations necessary. On the beach, nice breezes, pool, walk to restaurants & stroll the beach when you please. Great place, truly Dominican vibe with all the amenities, and your wife will totally dig it too. (and you better keep her happy, eh bro ? or no mo' surf treks for you!)

Problem w Ali's is that it's near the lagoon. Lagoon has buckets of mosquitoes. The DR has malaria. Mosquitoes carrying malaria have been culled from the lagoon - - you will get chomped on at Ali's place. Forewarned is forearmed.

The DR is the land of the all-inclusive stay. It works for many people. You'll get cabin fever after a few days though & seek out life away from the cruise ship on land atmosphere of the all-inclusives. Again, Magnifico is the bet.

Encuentro is the most reliable break. People call it a reef, but it breaks much more like a beach break. It gets absolutely jammed with locals when there's any sort of swell. Plan on getting snaked, a lot, and having to suck it up. Locals are not shy about letting you know "this is my point, you better respect me" as they hoot you off waves even when you have position. Nice enough guys who will look out for people in the water, ironically enough, just don't try to get peak position at the point or the mood changes quickly.

The rental boards aren't in great condition. Leashes can be worn out, most boards have taken a pounding from the turistas taking lessons & smashing the rental boards into the reef near shore. Best bet: pay up to AA & bring your own gear.

Lotta nasty sharp urchins at Encuentro. Many people wear booties, just as many people tuff it out & pull urchin spines out of their bare feet at night.

The wind does come up every day like clockwork approx 1030-ish & then that's it for surfing. Once in awhile, on a good swell, the late afternoon surf is worth going back for. Only if the wind abates.

Good place to chill & take a meal is LAX in Cabarete. Don't leave anything laying around & def use the safe in your room. Huge amounts of opportunistic petty theft in the DR.

Preciosa takes a certain directional swell to go off. Otherwise, it's flat. Very pretty though. You clamber down a steep jungle trail to get to the break. A lot like Duppies in Barbados in terms of the climb down the trail. Playa Grande is a beach, very pretty & usually flat as a board. Bot places are over 1 hour's drive from Cabarete, so make sure you know it's going off before you make the drive.

Sosua has a (rare) break in the bay. Rare as in really not worth the time to investigate, esp on a short trip to the DR. Sosua is a bar town, lots of pro hookers at night, quite a show on the main drag as the homeboy gringos come in by the van load from their Jet Blue flights from NYC. Def not where you'd want to stay with the wife.

Have fun.

 

Just to touch apon what you were saying, I'd rather surf Encuentro rather than Domes or Marias in PR, ANY day. Better to be out with 30 locals than over 100 angry ones like PR. There are tons of places to explore and surf outside of there too so if you do have a car, you can access waves by yourself. There's nothing worse than watching PERFECT, 300 yard rights with over 100 ppl (no exaggeration, i counted) out like at Maria's. Didn't even bother paddling out. I will agree with the location of the camp but his shortboards are in GREAT cond. And he does three trips a day to the beach starting at 630am, earlier if you ask. The hotel you suggested is prolly better for the wifey but for the lone surfer I think I would suggest Ali's as you can meet other surfers. But yankee, im a bit confused on how come you've been there over 25x but havent gotten friendly with the locals. They should be hooting you IN rather than OFF the wave. Have you tried talking to any of them, I found most (obv not all) locals to be friendly enough to talk to. Personally, if I was going to DR that much I would start building some bonds with them, buy em a beer or something. The 2-3 bucks is worth the friendship/ waves

 

I never said I wasn't friendly with the locals. That's your assumption. I never even commented on friendship / lack thereof. I merely said the locals will let you know in a hurry if they feel you don't 'deserve' a wave - - and I'll add that a lot of times that's due to you being a gringo & them being Dominican.

I know several of the locals there. I play softball on the fields in Cabarete & down the road not far from Encuentro, up the hill. I even trade off boards in the water with a couple guys I know, just trying out diff sticks, having fun, it's all good. One of the best dudes around, at any break, is Pedry.

The gringo who requested leads on the DR has never been there before. I'm giving him a heads-up on what he might experience, what to expect. Unless he's a top surfer AND with diplo skills worthy of the UN (such as yourself), he should be ready for the 'stuff' that can happen in the DR. As anyone should be prepared when they travel...

When asked for travel info, to then paint a picture for someone that he's going into surfin' Shangri-La is irresponsible.

As for the scene in PR, I know nada, only what I read on good boards like swellinfo.com.

 

yeah im going in spring and will be by the capital but will have my shortboard how should the surf be? and any like big name spots? and how are the crowds down there?

 

There's some breaks in the south, but always heard the south depends on the swell direction. Seems like not too many people up north in the DR know much about any spots other than their own local, north coast breaks. I always stayed in the north. Cabarete is a 4 hour drive from Santo Domingo, if you decide to head out of the city.