Surfing

photo by Sebastian Marrone

The beaches outside of the Colon and Bastimentos islands are two of the three spots. The other is the northern tip of the Carenero Key. A couple of sites in the Colon island attract more visitors: Bluff Beach and The Dump. The first is a long beach with very strong waves not always good for surfers. The long underwater dropp off makes long and continuous waves that break almost in the beach. The second site menttioned (The Dump) is the favorite of local surfers. It is dangerous because the waves break close to a coral reef and surfers must be careful to finish the ride before that point. It is also the place where more tables have been destroyed and many surfers ended with injuries. To reach both sites the only way is by car (taxi or particular), in a ride of about 15 minutes from Bocas town. The sites of Bastimentos are less visited by surfers. The first two beaches, from Bastimentos town, offer good conditiones but they are more difficult to reach: by boat from Bocas, weather permiting, or by boat to Bastimentos and then a 15 minutes walk to the other side of the island, to arrive to the first beach. The boat ride is about 15 minutes. The third site, in Carenero island, is as dangerous as The Dump, with many coral reefs close to the waves. It is visited as an alternative and to arrive there demand a short boat ride to Carenero and a walk along the eastern coast of the key. There are not surf shops in Bocas, because the activity as the whole tourism, is in the very beginning. Some local surfers repair tables to get an alternative income.