Barahona Surf Description
I just retuned home from Barahona early this morning. I will post a full trip report later. I was only there for three days but we stayed at the Casa Bonita just up-hill and on the mountain side of the highway above the bahoruco break. I did not bring rent or borrow any boards as our group had too much planned for me to be able to surf any. When we arrived Saturday Evening we walked down to the beach. The beach is made of smooth round rocks and there is a deposit of small pebbles barely bigger than sand (Suitable for my kids to play with sand toys) at the high tide line. We laid towels over the stones and were fine. Sandals or Water-shoes work well, and should be worn as broken glass is common. There are several fishing huts on the beach (Dogs, pigs, chickens etc.) and many locals collect white stones there to sell for patio pavers. It's not particularly attractive if you are not there to surf. There are other beaches that are more fun to hang out on. A river flows into the ocean right there and that is where the surf break is. It broke both left and right and was about 4' while I was there and no one was surfing, but a friend in Santo Domingo said the week before it was pumping and at one point 40 people were out. It was pretty inconsistent but still surfable for some short rides. I'm not sure a long board would be the best choice. Body boards or body surfing would be great, but don't get slammed on the bottom. My wife and I got in (I was bare foot, my wife had sport sandals and I was barefoot) and swam a little further west of the surf break for a little bit. You have to time the waves and swim out between the sets, so anyone comfortable swimming in surf will be fine if conditions are similar to those we had. The water is very warm and the occassional cool water current from the river is nice. The bottom drops quick and the rocks at the bottom get bigger, but are still smooth. I think the gravel deposited by the river is what makes the surf break work, as it must be a little shallower there in order for the waves to break a little further from shore. There was a lot of leaf and plant debris in the water where we swam. I had goggles on but could not see two feet. Later on from the hotel, we could see this debris was only in certain areas and had we got in a little further away, it would have been clear. In short, I don't know if I would call it a "surf destination" as I know there are better waves out there, but if you want to see an un-spoiled Dominican Republic, and get some surfing in; Barahona will show it to you. I'll try to give a full report of our whole trip in a few days.