Playa El Almejal, El Valle
Edit SpotAbout
Epic surf spot, and the culture of the Afro-Colombians and Embera Indigenous offer the travel much when not in the water.
Atmosphere:
A stunning place...NO danger there now, not been for the past few years. Don't listen to outdated security crap, and come check it out for yourself!! Empty, beautiful waves, with good shape and a good ride, where the pumping green jungle tumbles into the blue waves of the pacific, with whales and dolphins jumping about, and a town full of amazing people!
The Choco is truly amazing! The topography, jungle, lack of development, and friendly people make this an amazing place. There are some places to stay (pretty cheap) right on the beach. This beach is beautiful, and almost always has surfable waves. It is a paradise, but with all that said things are changing.
Unfortunately the civil war has entered the area, and the FARC has moved nearby. When I was there it was VERY safe, though now I am hearing mixed reports. PLEASE know the situation before going there. It's sad because the local people there are really victims to the violence, as they are really peaceful.
Additional Info:
Waves can get big here, so when the swell pulls in big be ready for super fast take offs! Summer waves open long and have great shape to cruise about having fun on the wave.
There are both left and right breaks at El Valle. The waves here carry a lot of energy and are good for short boards. When its big it holds up well, but not for inexperienced surfers.
A few local kids from Cali live in a shack near the beach and shape boards. Nice guys, and will rent, sell, and repair boards for you. Hopefully they are still there. Totally unorganized, but are very helpful and have everything, spare leashes etc. No local hostility at all, in fact they love seeing other people in the water.
Location
Loading...Access
Your first point of access is Bahia Solano, that has a airport and sea port. You can fly there from Medellin or Quibdo, or take a cargo boat there from Buenaventura, or a speed panga from Jaque, Panama. From Bahia Solano take a truck to El Valle, 40 minutes....in El Valle have the truck drop you off at the beach, this is Playa El Almejal. There you can see the waves pumping in.
| Walk | Instant access (<5 min) |
|---|---|
| Public access | Yes |
| 4x4 required | No |
| Boat required | No |
Wave Characteristics
| Type | Beach break |
|---|---|
| Direction | Right and left |
| Bottom | Sandy |
| Power | Fast, Powerful, Fun |
| Frequency | Very consistent (150+ days/year) |
| Normal length | Normal (50 to 150m) |
| Good day length | Normal (50 to 150m) |
Ideal Conditions
| Wind direction | West |
|---|---|
| Swell direction | SouthWest |
| Swell size | 3ft-5ft - 8ft+ |
| Tide | All tides |
| Tide movement | Rising tide |
Crowd
| Week | Empty |
|---|---|
| Weekend | Empty |
Dangers
Rocks
Videos
None