Located in Antofagasta, Chile, Penarol is a little spot in a bay with two reef breaks on either end, a left and a right. Both are high-performance based and break for up to 100 meters (328 feet) over a rock bottom. The swell needs to be big on the exposed coast to be rideable here.
What are the best surf conditions for Penarol?
It gets good between chest high and double overhead. We recommend riding a longboard if smaller and a shortboard as the size picks up. These breaks are suitable for intermediate and advanced-level surfers. The surf here is somewhat consistent (6/10) and will generally be uncrowded (4/10). The best winds are from the Southeast. The best swells are from the Northwest, North, and West. It works on all tides. However, the ideal swell direction to avoid excessive sectioning is from the west. Lefts into the rocky cove are more common. This spot is tucked in the bay behind Isla Santa Maria and therefore requires +10ft of swell on the open coast as an indicator that it will be decent.
We recommend wearing a springsuit, in summer with the warmest water temperature at a pleasant 21°C (70°F) in January. In winter, we recommend wearing a 4/3 wetsuit with temperatures being a brisk 15°C (59°F)! See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
