Best Surf Trips from Chicago

Pipeline is the proving ground of professional surfing—a shallow, left-breaking barrel that has defined generations of surfers. The wave breaks just 75 yards from the beach over a...

Sunset Beach is one of surfing's most revered and challenging waves—a football-field-sized playing field of shifting peaks and deep-water power. West Peak is the classic heavy...

Makaha is Hawaii's original big wave spot—the place where big wave surfing was pioneered before Waimea Bay. Multiple sections (Point, Bowl, Blowhole, Inside Reef) offer different...

Waimea Bay is the birthplace of big wave surfing—a thundering right-hander that only truly comes alive when swells exceed 15 feet. When it's on, the takeoff is a heart-stopping...

Canoes is Hawaii's most iconic learner wave and the birthplace of modern surfing. Most days it's a gentle, rolling right, but when big south swells hit, the barrel section...

Popoyo is Nicaragua's flagship surf destination—a reef break that catches virtually every SW swell and offers multiple peaks to choose from. The setup is perfect for a surf trip:...

Lance's Left is the Emerald Coast's most accessible long left—a point break that provides 200+ yard rides on bigger swells and welcomes surfers of all skill levels. Unlike the...

Colorados is Nicaragua's answer to boat-access exclusivity—a perfect beachbreak on a remote island that's only accessible via boat from Las Penitas. The resort setup keeps crowds...

Playa Maderas is Nicaragua's most beloved intermediate wave—a fun beach break near San Juan del Sur that has become the heart of the country's growing surf scene. The wave offers...

Playa Santana is Popoyo's quieter neighbor—a quality beach break that offers the same consistent southwest swells without the crowds that have discovered the famous point. The...

Coxos is arguably Portugal's best wave—a heavy, hollow right-hand reef/point break in Ericeira's World Surfing Reserve. The wave produces thick, grinding barrels over a rocky...

Nazaré is where surfing's largest waves are ridden—a Portuguese beach break that produces mountainous surf thanks to the Nazaré Canyon, an underwater trench that amplifies...

Supertubos is Portugal's answer to Pipeline—a savage beachbreak that produces some of the heaviest barrels in Europe. The wave breaks over sand banks shaped by the Nazaré Canyon...

Ribeira d'Ilhas is the crown jewel of Europe's first World Surfing Reserve—a long, reeling right-hand point break that has hosted Championship Tour events and produced countless...

São Torpes is Portugal's quirky surf anomaly—a consistent beach break made famous by a nearby power plant that warms the water several degrees above normal. While this industrial...

Witch's Rock is Costa Rica's most famous wave—a perfect A-frame beach break inside Santa Rosa National Park that gained worldwide fame in Endless Summer II. Getting here requires...

Pavones is one of the longest left-hand point breaks in the world—a legendary wave in remote southern Costa Rica that can run for 800+ meters when conditions align. Getting here...

Salsa Brava translates to "angry sauce," and this Caribbean reef break lives up to its name—the heaviest wave in Costa Rica. When N-NE groundswells hit the east coast during...

Playa Negra is Guanacaste's reef break crown jewel—a long, peeling left that offers some of the most consistent quality surf on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. The wave breaks over a...

Santa Teresa is Costa Rica's open secret that's no longer much of a secret—a once-remote beach town that has blossomed into a world-class surf destination with the yoga studios...

Puerto Escondido is the "Mexican Pipeline"—a brutally powerful beach break on Oaxaca's Pacific coast that produces some of the heaviest closeout tubes outside of Pipeline itself....

Todos Santos (Killers) is Mexico's answer to Jaws—a powerful right-hand point break on an island 8 miles off Ensenada that's been designated a World Surfing Reserve. An underwater...

La Punta is Puerto Escondido's friendly alternative—a mellow left-hand point break at the southern end of the beach, offering an escape from the Mexican Pipeline's terrifying...

Sayulita is Mexico's surf town sensation—a once-sleepy fishing village that has transformed into the country's most popular beginner surf destination. The right-hand point break...

Tres Palmas is the Caribbean's big wave proving ground—a powerful right-hand reef break in Rincón, Puerto Rico, that transforms into a legitimate big wave arena when massive...

Rincon is the undisputed capital of Caribbean surfing—a legendary stretch of coast on Puerto Rico's western tip that lights up during winter NW swells. The area hosts multiple...

Gas Chambers lives up to its name—a heavy, hollow reef break that produces some of the most intense tubes in the Caribbean. Located on Puerto Rico's northwest coast near...

Soup Bowl is widely considered the Caribbean's best wave—a powerful right-hand reef break on Barbados' rugged east coast. When NE groundswells hit this exposed section of...

Freights is Barbados' most accessible quality reef break—a fun, playful right on the island's mellower south coast that offers a welcome contrast to the east coast's intensity....

Maycocks is Barbados's answer to J-Bay—a long, perfectly lined-up right that peels along a coral reef on the northwest coast. When clean N-NW swells arrive in winter, the wave...