Surfing Panama | Playa Venao in August

Sunset at Playa Venao

Playa Venao is a south-facing bay with dark-colored volcanic sand on the Pacific side of Panama. Of all the breaks I've been to around the world, Playa Venao had the shortest, least rippable waves. You take off, get one or maybe two turns in, then the wave closes out. And this is during peak swell season.

I spent an entire month there but remember only 3 days when it was truly satisfying on a shortboard. I could see every shortboarder roll their eyes or shake their head when yet another wave closes out on them right after they take off. A wave they had paddled so hard for because it's so damn mushy and weak that they have to provide all the speed and power that nature or gravity wouldn't.

1 of the 3 good days of swell in August

Crowds

I came to Playa Venao, Panama thinking it would be uncrowded with loads of juicy, overhead waves during the peak swell season. Reality was far from what I had imagined. Hoards of surf schools and other surfers crowd the water within 30 minutes of my surf guide and I being spotted in the water (we're usually the first in the water at dawn patrol). The crowding will only worsen as the bay gets more developed with more surf schools, hotels, vacation rentals, and housing developments springing up everywhere.

Housing development in Playa Venao

There are a couple local rippers here who are small wave kings that can squeeze out the occasional aerial. Most surfers out there are beginners or intermediates on higher volume boards or retired and aging rippers who have stepped up to bigger boards.

I can't do an aerial yet

Wave Quality

"Those months are especially good for swells. You could expect waves in the waist to over head high ranges with glassy conditions in the mornings and evenings," wrote the general manager of Beach Break Surf Camp when I inquired about wave quality. What I got was mushy knee to waist high closeouts on most days. It was glassy most mornings but the winds picked up and stayed strong all the way through sunset on most days.

A typical ride at Playa Venao

There were 3 days of good swell when waves were head high or overhead. There was never a completely flat day but the waves were a helluva lot smaller than I expected. It was rare to see someone cover a distance of more than 20 ft. and they were usually on a longboard. You'll get longer rides with a longboard because you can take off earlier than shortboarders, but the rides will still be shorter than what you would get at a world-class 500m longboarding break like Playa Saladita, Mexico. 

Longboarder already going down the line before the shortboarder even takes off

Skill Level

The small size and the consistency of waves - it's rarely ever flat except in February - does make Playa Venao ideal for beginners and improving longboarders. Intermediate shortboarders should look elsewhere unless they're a masochist. 

I went shortboarding on most days anyway (I have a masochistic streak I should probably get checked). I caught loads of waves on even my 22-liter board but the rides were not as sublime as those I experienced in Maldives, Mauritius,  Nicaragua, or Indonesia. I did, however, improve my duck diving and speed generation on waves that don't give you much.

More advanced surfers can work on perfecting that snap or finishing maneuver on their one-turn rides (which is the majority of rides here). Forget about doing a million turns. This is not the place for it. Go to Maldives or Indo if you're looking for long, rippable walls. At Playa Venao, there's seldom time for a bottom turn after takeoff. You just gotta angle your takeoff, stay high, and pump like a 5-year-old on a trampoline.

One of the days we had clean conditions

Water Quality

Aside from being smaller than I expected, the rainy season makes the water so muddy and dirty I couldn't surf half the time. I caught a stomach bug, my surf guide had an ear infection, and every surf session ended with a bunch of leaves and sticks literally up my ass. Keep your mouth closed to keep all the debris out.

Surfing with post-rain debris

Note there are a couple of dogs here that poop all over the beach and their owners (which also happen to be the adult offspring of the owner of Beach Break Surf Camp) don't always pick up after them. If you ever wanted to eat breakfast while the aroma of a fresh, steaming pile of warm dog shit wafts in your face, this is the place.

More debris (and drop-ins) after a rain

Surf Spots

If you have a car, you can drive to other spots like Guanico or Cambutal but there is only one surf spot in Playa Venao proper: Playa Venao. You simply pick where you want to position yourself along the bay. The easternmost end is flatter and ideal for beginners. Supposedly, this end has been overtaken by Israelis who make non-Israelis feel unwelcome. I went during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict though, so I didn't really see many Israelis out there.

Found a nice corner in front of Beach Break Surf Camp

Everything west of Beach Break Surf Camp is friendly to non-Israelis and locals. The area in front of the radio tower has the best waves, with lefts and rights. Farther west is the rivermouth, which has lots of swirling currents that will take you in circles. This is the least crowded area but doesn't fire often. The westernmost end of the bay is calm and sheltered from swell.

In front of the radio tower are lefts and rights that run into each other

In general, beach breaks are my least favorite kind of break and Playa Venao reminded me why. I had gotten my hopes up with Playa Santana in Nicaragua just a month before, but Playa Venao was nothing like it. The peaks are shifty, there are no channels, and most waves are closeouts, especially anything that's head high or higher. The name of the game here is Finding Corners and Generating Speed. 

An unusually "long" ride at Playa Venao

Food & Lodging

Though the waves may not be so great, Playa Venao has great infrastructure and amenities going for it. Living was easy and comfortable at Beach Break Surf Camp, located right on the beach and a 5-minute walk to the break in front of the radio tower.

Electricity, and hence air conditioning, stay on most of the time thanks to solar panels and a backup generator. The tap water is potable. Internet and phone never went down even when it rained hard. The internet and phone are fast enough to do remote work, including streaming (I watched the whole 2024 Olympics from my room and the bar) and video conferencing. There is a communal kitchen, a gym with built-in mats (for BJJ, yoga, and fitness classes), and a weight room.

Comfy, modern rooms at Beach Break Surf Camp

Construction standards are high and many places were on par with that in the developed world. My room ceiling didn't leak. The shower had hot water and the shower stall had tiled floors and walls with a glass enclosure to keep the the rest of the bathroom from getting wet (something most other developing countries don't seem to have, unfortunately). The toilet had proper U-pipes to prevent sewer gasses from coming back out and making your bathroom smell like a pile of durian in Thailand. Nicaragua should take a class in Panamanian infrastructure. 

Glass shower doors at Beach Break Surf Camp

The town of Playa Venao is so small, you can walk around it in 10 minutes. You don't really need a car unless you want to explore beyond the town. In such a compact little town, you can find a supermarket, fruit stand, mini markets, restaurants, dessert shops, loud parties, and alternative medicine therapists. Prices are the same as those in the U.S. though. Don't come here thinking you'll save money on living costs. My favorite spots in town:

Super Venao supermarket

• Super Venao - God bless Super Venao supermarket for being so near to my heart (literally - it's right behind the Beach Break Surf Camp) and saving me from hunger when I couldn't muster up the funds to eat out. When the latin tunes come on just before closing, this is the best place in town to dance - plenty of space, flat and stable floor, a ubiquitous sound system with speakers that aren't shattered, and... food! The other parties in town don't come close to matching the fun I had here (well, I also just hate the dull psytrance playing all night on weekends at Selina).

Motek's gluten-free cookies that don't suck

• Motek - dessert shop and wifi cafe with homemade ice cream, waffles, crepes, and gluten-free cookies in a clean, air-conditioned space with a lush outdoor terrace.

Beachfront dining at Terra Venao

• Terra Venao - Quiet beachfront dining with comfy couches and protein-heavy Pabellón Criollo and other mediterranean/latin dishes.

Meaty empanadas at PanAR

• PanAR Bakery - Delicious and generously stuffed Argentinian empanadas at 2 for $6. My favorite was the Argentinian-style beef with tender, stewed to fall-off-the-fork beef perfection. They also make the best croissants in town - golden brown, flaky, buttery, slightly sweet. Add optional ham and cheese for a more savory delight. They also make alfajores with a thick filling of dulce de leche. They don't skimp on any of the good stuff.

Conclusion

Playa Venao is a pleasant place to live with surf suitable for longboarders and beginners but a suffer-fest for everyone else. I had more fun goofing around on a longboard or a bodyboard. This was not the right place to work on leveling up my shortboarding as the wave face doesn't stay open long enough for me to think of my next move. Also, my surf instructor at Beach Break Surf Camp just flat out told me he can't teach me how to turn sharper or do aerials. 

Playa Venao is best for cruisey longboards

A fat and zippy fish will do too