GENERAL
No crowds, the beach is almost empty. Gives you the feeling of "I OWN THIS PLACE'S WAVES"!

SPOT RATING: 4****
(1- not so okay, 2-okay, 3-cool, 4-very cool, 5-the ultimate spot)
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HOW TO GET THERE
First make it to Guatemala (its better if you stay in La Antigua, which is close to Guatemala City), and then there are some options to reach the spot (there is one surf camp here and a small fishermen village, so if you are planning to get there, call the surf camp, since they are the only ones that can arrange meals, accommodations, etc. By calling you\'ll be avoiding a lot hastles and their prices are really cheap:

1. Shuttle service: EL PAREDON SURF CAMP provides door-to-door round trip service, both from La Antigua or from Guatemala City. Each way takes some two hours. E-mail this people at paredon@itelgua.com

2. Public transportation from La Antigua: Buses leave from La Antigua (backside of the market) at 11:00 a.m. with intervals of one hour and head to Escuintla. The bus company is Transportes Ruiz. When you pay your ticket, ask the driver's assistant to drop you off at the station where the buses depart to Sipacate. This first part of the journey takes some 1 1/2 hours. There are several bus companies that cover the route Escuintla-Sipacate, and generally they stop for some 15 minutes at the town known as La Gomera, before reaching Sipacate. As usual ask the driver's assistant to drop you off in Sipacate, specifically where the pick-up trucks drive passengers to the point known as El Escondite (this second part of the journey takes some two hours). Reaching El Escondite from Sipacate takes some 10 minutes and the road is not paved, but well maintained. El Escondite is a very small public pier on the shores of one small channel, part of the bigger Chiquimulilla Canal. Leave the pick-up truck at this point (you can\'t miss it, because the pick-ups finish at this place) and take the public boat that goes to El Paredon, which takes some 10 minutes. Once in El Paredon, ask anybody how to reach the surf camp.

3. Public transportation from Guatemala City: Transportes Esmeralda is the bus company that leaves to Escuintla. They depart from zone 1 and the drive takes 1 1/2 hours up to Escuintla. When you pay your ticket, ask the driver's assistant to drop you off at the station where the buses depart to Puerto de San Jose. The drive to Puerto de San Jose takes some 45 minutes. Again ask the driver's assistant to drop you off at the station where the bus departs to El Paredon. There is only one departure every day, and this leaves at 3:00 p.m. This last part of the journey takes 1 hour and 45 minutes and finishes directly at El Paredon. Once there ask anybody how to reach the surf camp. Please notice that you don\'t need to leave from Guatemala City earlier than 11:00 a.m. Otherwise you will be waiting to long for the bus at Puerto de San Jose. You can go back the same way, but consider that the only bus that leaves from El Paredon does it at 6:00 a.m.

WAVES
There are beachbreaks and sandbars and the height of the waves vary in a range between 3-12 feet depending on the tides and the rains. The waves can be catalogued as Fun Waves and for Guatemala this spot can be catalogued as Regional Classic.

During the mornings there are offshore winds, which turns the ocean glassy and creates nice and constant hollow left and right waves. With these conditions barreling is quite common. Around 11:00 a.m. the wind changes and blows southeast, which diminishes the quality of the wave, making it still surfable. Rips are also strong in the afternoon.

BEST TIME TO SURF
This spot can be surfed all year round, although the months between July and October are better.

CROWDS
Nobody surfs here, except those that stay at the surf camp. Sometimes you can be alone (or share the wave with two more surfers) the entire session

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