Chile
Punta de Lobos
Left-hand point breaks wrap a basalt headland where big-wave surfers ride 8-metre winter swells.
The swell wraps around the basalt headland in long, clean lines, peeling left for 400 metres while sea lions bark from the rocks below. Salt spray catches the afternoon light as a set rolls through, the wave face building to twice a surfer's height before it pitches forward. The only sound between sets is wind across the cliff top and the colony below.
Punta de Lobos is a left-hand point break on Chile's central coast, 6 kilometres south of Pichilemu in the O'Higgins Region. The underwater rock shelf creates a wave that wraps around the headland for nearly 400 metres — rides lasting two minutes are achievable on a medium swell. Winter Antarctic storms deliver 8-metre face heights, and Chile's big-wave championship is held here each August, drawing professional surfers from 15 countries. The headland takes its name from the resident sea lion colony that hauls out on the basalt rocks below the car park, present every day of the year. The break is consistently ranked among the top 10 surf spots in Latin America.
Solo
Punta de Lobos is a pilgrimage point for serious surfers. The lineup is respected but welcoming — paddle out, earn your waves, and trade stories at the cliff-top restaurant afterwards.
Friends
A crew trip to Punta de Lobos during winter swell season is the kind of surf trip people talk about for years. Watch each other take on the biggest waves of your lives, then debrief over machas a la parmesana in Pichilemu.
- The left-hand point break is consistently ranked in the top 10 surf breaks in Latin America — winter Antarctic swells deliver 8-metre face heights on the right day.
- Chile's big-wave championship is held here in August when southern ocean swells are at peak — professional surfers arrive from 15 countries.
- The headland is named for the resident sea lion colony that hauls out on the basalt rocks below the car park — they are present every day of the year.
- The underwater rock shelf creates a wave that wraps around the point for nearly 400 metres — rides lasting 2 minutes are achievable on a medium swell.
Empanadas de mariscos from the cliff-top restaurant overlooking the break.
Post-surf machas a la parmesana in Pichilemu — razor clams gratinéed with white wine and Parmesan.
Craft beer and sunset at Waitara surf lodge, watching the last sets roll in.
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