The #1 Surf Camp in Cabarete

High season is about to start in Cabarete, and for us at Swell this means we get more and more facebook & email messages every day. Clare, who answers the emails, is very good and quick with replying to everyone, but since there are some recurring questions that come back on a daily basis, I thought I’d answer some of them here.

 

How do I get to Cabarete, Dominican Republic?

We have made a page about the location of Swell and how to easily get to the Dominican republic

 

When is the best time to visit the DR for surfing?

For beginners: any time of the year is a good time to come and learn with Swell Surf School in Cabarete
For intermediates if you  just started catching unbroken waves,  spring / summer and autumn are best, for more advanced intermediates  the winter is a good time to start challenging yourself with some bigger waves.
Experts Surfers: best time to come is between October and April when the winter swells roll in for overhead + conditions most of the time.

 

Can you convince me why I need to choose Swell?

In short? No
We do not try to convince people to stay at Swell over the email. Have a good look at our website, read the reviews, check our facebook page to see what our current clients are up to, check the photo galleries on our site and you should be able to get a very good idea what Swell Surf camp is all about. We are honest in our marketing, we do not try to make our place look better than it really is, we are NOT going to promise that you are going to have amazing waves in the time you are with us, since we cannot control nature. What we CAN control is things like how clean our place is, the freshness of the food, the quality of the lessons etc.

 

What about this other…. hotel / apartement / ‘surf camp’?

Kind of the same answer as above. Have a look at their website, prices, photos etc and compare it with what we offer.  Swell is not the cheapest place in Cabarete. If price is your only criteria for choosing your surf holiday, then Swell is probably not for you. There are other places in town where you can book a surf camp in the $15 to $35 per night price range, BUT

Are they at the best location in town?
No

Do they provide quality surf lessons from qualified surf instructors?
No

Do they offer daily maid service for your room?
No

Is there going to be 10-20 other guests to socialise and surf with?
No

Owners / managers with years of experience in the surf travel industry?
Nope

Are they purpose built to be a surf camp like Swell?
No

Have the owner(s) ever done much surfing, kitesurfing, SUP or windsurfing?
No

We are not saying we are top pro’s in these sports, but they are our lifelong passions, which we think is important to provide the top service that we like to give at Swell. Would you trust a chef that doesn’t eat his own food?

Ok, here’s the only pics of us (the owners) on this website doing what we love doing (besides making sure all is well at Swell)

We could go on, just be careful that the term ‘surf camp cabarete’ has become very popular in Cabarete the last few years. Apartments or budget hotels have quickly rebranded themselves as surf camps to attract clients. If you want to stay in an apartment, old house or old hotel as the only surfer, then the above places might suit you well. If you want quality and are willing to pay a bit more for a top surf holiday, send us an email.

Last question

What are the waves going to be like..next week / month etc.

We use MagicSeaweed and Windguru for wind and waves forecasts, they are pretty accurate.

I hope this answers some questions, also every page on the main part of our website has some FAQ’s as well, so maybe your question is answerd there.

Who is team Swell?

Swell is owned and founded by Jeroen Mutsaars & Clare Mutsaars

Jeroen Mutsaars has worked in the surf travel industry for 20+ years.

Surfing Cabarete

Here’s some information regarding the different surf spots , conditions and what to expect on a surf holiday in and around Cabarete, Dominican Republic.

Surf spots close to Cabarete
The most popular surfspot on the North Coast of the DR is Playa Encuentro, it’s 3 miles west of Cabarete town.
The beach of Playa Encuentro or ( or just plain Encuentro as everyone calls it) has several different surf spots:
From West to East they are:

• Destroyer: like the name suggests, not a wave for beginners, it’s fast and barreling and best in the winter months. It’s shallow with pretty sharp reef so kamikazes and bodyboarders only!
• The left at Encuentro: a quality left hander that can peel for a good distance, barrel sections, works in NE and North swells, and when it does you will not be the only one out there, so can get a bit crowded with good surfers
• Encuentro main peak: a fun , consistent ( breaks all year round) wave, the right is longer, the left shorter and faster. Great for short and longboarders, also good for intermediates and experts.
• Bobo’s point: right in front of Bobo’s surf school, a fun left and right wave for surfers of all levels.
• Coco Pipe: good right hand wave, that only gets good in a North swell with some size. Barrels and good walls to hit. Shallow and uneven reef below the surface, so not for beginners

Cabarete’s main bay also has waves that you could surf, but it’s a long paddle, 30 minutes on a shortboard. Not the easiest place to surf since it’s hard to predict the peaks, No crowds, just the occasional Stand up Paddle surfer.
East of Cabarete is Mananero: best in East swells, without wind, so early summer mornings. It’s fast & it has a good punch for intermediate and experts surfers.

About 45 minutes east of Cabarete is Playa Grande which has several surf spots in the region. Playa Grande itself has a fun beach break, great for bodyboarding & bodysurfing. The next bay has several surf spots, the most well know spot in Preciosa, a world class reef break in front of a headland, the left is better and longer than the right.

These spots are the most well known surf spots in the Cabarete region, there’s a good amount more spots, some are surfed less frequent in their consistency, some are secret spots, so you’ll need a willing local to share the info. At Swell staff has lived here for over 10 years, so we know all the major spots, but will not publish them here on the web ( maybe at Swell after a few beers, we can be bribed;-)

More info about Surfing Cabarete

Surf forecast for Surfing Cabarete can be found here.

More photo’s of surfing on the North coast of the DR.

Interested in other sports on your surf holiday in Cabarete can be found here or click here if  want to stay up to date on the Swell Costa Rica Surf camp