December is the dry season properly established. The swell is northern, modest and inconsistent, the rain has gone, and the trades come across Lake Nicaragua day after day. The coast that produced eight foot faces in July is now producing waist to chest high, groomed.
That is the country at its most approachable, and it is worth saying plainly rather than apologising for. The reefs at Popoyo are still reefs and still work; they are simply working at a size a competent surfer enjoys rather than one that decides the day. The water is at 27°C. San Juan del Sur fills up over the holidays and the Tola coast stays quiet.
