A wide, easy beach break right up against the border fence — the closest surf spot to San Diego, and a popular first stop for cross-border sessions.

Water quality is the real hazard here, not the wave: the Tijuana River outfall is close by, and quality drops sharply after rain. Check advisories before paddling out, especially in winter.

Best conditions: NW winter swell, morning offshore winds

Street parking along the malecón; crowded on weekends.

A powerful, hollow beach break that draws experienced surfers for its size and punch — not a forgiving wave for beginners.

Can hold a lot of swell; also known for a strong pull and shifting sandbars, so local knowledge of the current bank matters.

Best conditions: NW swell, moderate-to-large, offshore wind

Bluff-top access road; limited parking.

Baja's most famous surf landmark, named for the kilometer marker on the old highway. A point/beach-break combination that works across a wide range of swell sizes and skill levels.

Long-running surf camps, board rentals, and lessons cluster right here — the easiest spot on this list for a first Baja surf trip.

Best conditions: NW swell, works well most of the year

Toll road (Hwy 1D) exit at Km 38; paid parking areas right at the point.

A reef break just south of K38 proper — a bit more punch and a rockier bottom than its neighbor, with a smaller crowd on most days.

Best conditions: NW swell, mid-tide

Reachable from the K38 area on foot at low tide, or a short drive further down Hwy 1D.

A point break in front of the landmark Calafia resort — a reliable, less crowded alternative when K38 is packed.

Best conditions: NW swell

Toll road exit near the Calafia resort; parking on-site.

A beach break near the La Fonda restaurant/hotel, roughly halfway between Rosarito and Ensenada — a popular stop for a surf-and-lunch day trip.

Best conditions: NW swell, morning glass

Toll road exit at Km 58/La Misión; restaurant parking lot doubles as beach access.

A quality point break with a storied name ("get out if you can") — access has historically run through private/ejido land with gate fees that change without notice.

Best conditions: NW swell, winter

Access has changed hands over the years and isn't always open — ask locally before making the drive.

Ensenada's marquee wave — a long, rippable right point break just north of downtown, popular enough to get crowded on a good day.

A great step up once K38 feels too easy, with enough size and consequence to reward local knowledge of the lineup.

Best conditions: NW winter swell, offshore (Santa Ana) wind

Just off the toll road on the way into Ensenada; paid lot at the point.

A gentler beach break close to San Miguel — a good option for newer surfers who want to be near Ensenada's surf zone without San Miguel's crowd and consequence.

Best conditions: NW swell, small-to-moderate

Near San Miguel, off the coastal road into Ensenada.

A reef/beach combo on the north Ensenada coast — less well-known than San Miguel, worth checking when the marquee spot is maxed out or too crowded.

Best conditions: NW swell, mid-tide

Coastal road access, north Ensenada.

A big-wave reef/point break off an island a short boat ride from Ensenada — one of the best-known big-wave spots on the Pacific coast, holding waves well over 20 feet on the biggest winter swells.

Boat access only, and strictly for experienced big-wave surfers with proper safety support — not a spot to approach casually.

Best conditions: Large NW winter swells (peak season roughly Nov–Feb)

Boat charter from Ensenada required; no walk-in access.

One of the longest rights in the world on its day — a series of sand-bottom points that peel for hundreds of meters when a solid S/SW swell wraps into the bay.

Getting there is the crux: hours of washboard dirt road from either Ciudad Insurgentes or the north. Small-day waves are mellow enough for improvers; when it's on, the points connect and the lineup fills with surfers who made the pilgrimage.

Best conditions: S/SW summer swell (May–Oct); small NW windswell the rest of the year

Long dirt-road drive; high-clearance vehicle recommended. Basic services in San Juanico village.

A remote desert point with both a right and a left, well off the tourist track — camping surfers and locals from La Paz mostly have it to themselves.

Picks up almost any swell going. No services at all: bring water, shade, and everything else.

Best conditions: Works on NW and SW swell; wind is the deciding factor

Dirt road off Hwy 1 south of El Cien; no facilities — self-sufficient trips only.

Todos Santos's serious wave — a powerful right point over cobblestone north of town that holds real size on NW winter swells.

Strong currents and a heavy shorebreak on the inside; this stretch of coast is not for casual swimmers or new surfers.

Best conditions: NW winter swell, early-morning offshore

Sandy road north from Todos Santos along the palm groves; soft sand — 4WD helps.

A rock-and-sand break at the south end of the Todos Santos stretch — punchier than neighboring Cerritos, with a rivermouth cobble point that lights up on the right swell.

Best conditions: NW winter swell; handles more size than Cerritos

Signed turnoff from Hwy 19 near El Pescadero; short dirt road to the beach.

The Cape region's learn-to-surf beach — a friendly sand-bottom break with surf schools, board rentals, and beach bars right on the sand, 15 minutes south of Todos Santos.

One of the few safely swimmable Pacific beaches in the area, which also makes it the most crowded. Best waves in winter, but rideable most of the year.

Best conditions: NW winter swell for the best waves; small and manageable in summer

Signed turnoff at Km 66 on Hwy 19; large parking area behind the beach.

A fickle but aptly named right point on the East Cape dirt road — needs a solid southern-hemisphere swell to break, and rewards the surfers who time it.

Best conditions: S/SE summer swell (May–Oct), morning glass before the sea breeze

Off the East Cape dirt road between La Ribera and San José; ask locally — turnoffs are unsigned.

The best-known East Cape swell magnet — a fast right over reef that picks up more south swell than the Costa Azul spots, named for the wreck that used to rust on the beach.

Camping surfers line the bluff in summer. Sea urchins and shallow rock mean booties are a good idea.

Best conditions: S/SE summer swell, offshore morning wind

East Cape dirt road ~30–40 min from San José del Cabo; no services.

A long, soft right point by a cluster of palms — the East Cape's longboard wave, slow and forgiving even when the swell has some size.

Best conditions: S/SE summer swell; still fun when small

East Cape dirt road past Zacatitos; passable in most vehicles in dry weather.

Los Cabos's marquee wave — a punchy right over rock and sand at Costa Azul, steps from the highway and the restaurant of the same name. Contest site and local proving ground.

Summer south swells bring it to life along with a sizeable crowd; respect the pecking order.

Best conditions: S/SW summer swell (May–Oct), morning offshore

Costa Azul beach access off Hwy 1 at Km 28.5; parking by the restaurants.

Zippers's mellow neighbors on the same beach — slower, longboard-friendly peaks where the surf schools take their students when the swell allows.

The easiest place in Los Cabos to get a first wave: rentals and lessons right on the sand at Costa Azul.

Best conditions: S/SW summer swell, small-to-moderate days

Same Costa Azul access as Zippers; boards for rent on the beach.

The Cabo corridor's standout left — fast, hollow, and breaking over urchin-covered rock at the east edge of Cabo San Lucas bay, with the arch in view down the coast.

Best of the corridor on a solid south, and correspondingly localized. Booties strongly recommended.

Best conditions: S/SW summer swell, bigger days; morning sessions

Beach access by the Misiones del Cabo condos off Hwy 1 at Km 5.5; short scramble down the bluff.