Surfing Ecuador in April / May

Montañita was named after the little statue-like formation atop the cliff at the point break

If you're looking for uncrowded waves, Montañita, Ecuador is not the place. This is Ecuador's most popular break. You get to surf with butterflies though! I've never seen so many butterflies out in the wild before.

More butterflies, more flowers

I went in 2023 from mid-April to mid-May, which is just after peak surf season. I rarely found a day with fewer than 10 people at the right-hand point break with its tiny takeoff zone. Dawn patrol fills up quickly and low tide is too perilous with all the submerged rocks below. The only time I had the point break to myself (and eventually one other person) was on a small day at mid-day when the waves were below shoulder height. The only other time it's uncrowded is during a competition but no one is allowed in the water unless they're competing:

No crowds at La Punta during competitions

Surf Guides & Lessons

Hiring a surf guide can help open up more opportunities as the guide will coordinate the lineup or block other surfers. I picked the raddest local, Sixto, to guide me. He was the fastest surfer out there, generating speed and throwing airs like child's play.

My first session with him was the best of the trip. We warmed up on the beach break then looked over at the point break and noticed only 3 surfers out there at a falling tide. We hustled over and rode some exhilarating overhead waves with spicy drops and steep walls.

A rancher walking his herd on the beach on a becalmed day

If you want to surf with Sixto, look for the tall, dark-skinned dude with the Freddy Krueger face (half his face was burned in a fire) ripping up the Playa Montañita beach break in front of the Brothers Surf Lessons & Rentals thatched hut. Super-friendly guy but he only speaks Spanish.

About 500 feet to the left of this fence is Brothers Surf Lessons hut

If you want lessons with video analysis, try Balsa Surf Camp. They rent out balsa wood boards made by the owner. Each session, my instructor Ademar picked out a board for me and took me to either the point break or the beach break depending on conditions. He speaks some english. Lessons cost $40 per 90 minutes. As an added bonus, the gardener hooked me up with a bunch of free palo santo afterwards.

Trying a balsa board at La Punta. They're heavier than EPS or PU boards

Meanwhile, the jaded photographer will shoot from land but he's more interested in shooting the passersby in bikinis than the students in the water, as I could see as we scrolled through the photos/videos from my session on his laptop. He missed half my rides and most of my takeoffs. Most of the videos and photos were zoomed in on women's asses... but not mine. It was the worst $30 I've ever spent for surf photography.

Fumigating with palo santo to get rid of mosquitos and bad juju

Surf Spots

Long rights at La Punta

La Punta

Classic point break with long rights. Tight takeoff spot crowded with local and visiting shortboarders. Longboarders take off farther out, on the shoulder, Watch out for groms on the inside and kick out before you hit the rocks near the shore if you didn't make it all the way to the channel. Best surfed on an incoming tide. Outgoing tide gets choppy. This is a high quality wave but good luck finding a time when it's not crowded.

Paddle out through the channel or wander up these rocks to the takeoff point

La Punta at low tide: avoid unless you love short rides and ding repairs

The local foiler gets most of the waves as he does laps around the surfers, literally surfing in circles as he pumps his way back up to the peak and takes another ride. The locals have priority here, of course, and the tough lady on her longboard and the lady shredder on the shortboard (Fanny, who's on the national team) will drive that point home. If you wait long enough (at least an hour) and speak spanish, the friendlier locals will warm up to you and let you have a wave while they cheer you on with "Dale, dale, dale... Levanta, levanta, levanta!".

Mere mortals at the point

Watch out for submerged rocks like these

Playa Montañita

With lefts and rights, Playa Montañita hosts beach breaks along its wide and flat coastline. Like all beach breaks they tend to close out, but the sand bottom makes it the best spot for beginners. Bigger waves get hollow but not enough to barrel.

Going for yet another closeout

Surfers can spread out and find a lone peak all to themselves. The best peaks are on the other side of the channel from the point break, on the northern end of the beach. Park your board between hostel Sole Mare and Shakha Sushi & Thai and wait for a wave.

Sunny day with the rainwater cleared out at the beach break

Farther south, between Hotel Kundalini and Selina are swathes of Israelis, on R&R from bootcamp, either playing soccer or getting pounded by closeouts on their foamies (or under-volumed shortboards for those who feel their masculinity is threatened).

Small whale washed up on the beach at low tide

Water Quality

The water smells like ass after a heavy rain, when sewage drains into the ocean. There is also a lot of dog shit on the beach and on the streets in the town. I picked up some sort of infection that kept me bedridden with flu-like symptoms for a week. You might wanna invest in some surfer ear plugs or just avoid surfing when the water is brown. The town is still working on its issues with street flooding and wastewater treatment.

One of the rivers running through the town

Lodging

So far, Hotel Kundalini is my favorite place to stay in the whole surfing world. The beachfront room with private balcony gave me the best view of sunset while tapping away on my laptop for work. It's a 5-minute walk to the point break (10 minutes if you have to wade across the river after a heavy rain). The room is clean, modern, and dry, with a big, comfy bed, AC, TV, warm water shower.

Tippity-tap

The shower is in a separate room from the toilet so the seat and floor doesn't get all wet. Wifi was fast and stable enough for my work and video calls. I could watch the ocean and do my surf check from the balcony or from my bed, looking through the floor-to-ceiling windows in air-conditioned comfort. The roof is a real roof, not a thatched roof, so no bugs or geckos get in and no leaks when it rains.

Shower on the left, sink in the middle, toilet on the right

The hotel has a sauna, onsite restaurant with 4 different kinds of breakfast, yoga classes, and massages available by appointment. The couple who does the massages have a magnetic touch. I had tingles up and down my spine the whole session.

Clean, comfy, rooms with AC at Hotel Kundalini

Beach lounging area next to on-site restaurant

I really appreciate the landscaping at Hotel Kundalini

Food

The beachfront Shankha Sushi 'n' Thai is a popular sunset spot for both locals and foreigners and the only one that serves sushi. I can watch surfers at the point break while dining on sushi that did not give me food poisoning. Gringo prices but you pay for the ambience and food quality. Live music on most days by local and traveling performers.

Beachfront sunset dining at Shanka Sushi 'n' Thai

Tambo, small open-air restaurant just two doors down from the Wiki Company surf shop. It serves delicious peruvian food. It's in the town but on a quiet street. An oasis for vegetarians as they have a hefty portion of sauteed veggies available as a side dish.

Ceviche at Tambo

If you want local food with local prices, try the nameless place next to Panaderia Cristian on Ruta Del Spondylus. They have a TV playing the latest soccer game and a daily changing menu of delectable local dishes. $4 for a hearty set meal with pork chop, lentil stew, rice, salad, and patacones (smashed plantains).

Local food at local prices at this nameless restaurant

Vibe

Montañita is a party town so expect loud electronic music on the weekends. The locals are friendly but most of the tourists are Israelis who don't speak spanish and seem to think that shouting louder and louder in english will help the waitresses understand them better. They are hot and sweaty temptations playing soccer shirtless on the beach, but they're not interested in you if you're not jewish. They don't say hi or mingle with non-jewish people. They'll sit down at my table for breakfast at the food trucks but ignore me and won't make conversation even though they're sitting at my table. They didn't even ask if they could share my table. Eww. Unlike my Israeli friends back at home, those Israeli soldiers in Montañita don't care about anyone outside their insular group.

Umbrellas lining the beach in front of the town center

Non-surf Activities

If it's a rainy day, go to the gym! Arena Gym is a 10-minute walk from Hotel Kundalini to the town. They have free weights, squat rack, bench, rings, punching bags, and healthy juices and protein smoothies. Otherwise, within Montañita your choices are parasailing, swimming, shopping, nightclubs, bars, hiking around the point, and getting swimsuits custom-made at Gitana.

Working on dragonflies at Arena Gym

If you have cash to spare, take a trip to the Galápagos. It's 8 hours by bus and plane. If you're on a budget, try the Poor Man's Galapagos at Isla De La Plata, which also has blue-footed boobies and it's just a day trip from Montañita.

Conclusion

Montañita is a crowded but high-quality point break with low-quality beach breaks and even lower quality water near a party town. I would come back just to live at Kundalini Hotel again, but I wouldn't expect to catch a ton of waves in such a crowded lineup. Maybe rent a car a next time and check out Ecuador's less crowded breaks, such as Ayampe or Olon.