Surfing in Mexico

Mexico covers the entire range of surfing, from learners' beach breaks to the heaviest barrel in the Americas.

The Pacific coast runs for thousands of kilometres and changes completely with latitude. Baja offers desert points and cooler water. The centre, around Puerto Escondido, produces summer waves that send people to hospital every year. Further south, the Oaxaca and Guerrero coasts alternate approachable beaches with serious breaks.

The southern swell season runs April to October, and it is what made the country's name. Winter stays surfable, smaller and softer, and far better suited to learning.

The thing to understand: Puerto Escondido is not a place to progress. It is an experts' wave in the middle of a region that does offer plenty of approachable options. Confusing the two is the classic mistake.

Who it suits: every level, provided you pick the right place and the right season. It is the country that rewards research before departure more than any other.