Surfing
Surfing
5 reasons El Salvador is the Championship Tour’s hottest new surf stop
After just three years on the WSL Championship Tour, the Surf City El Salvador Pro has quickly become a favorite among surfers and fans alike. Here’s what makes Punta Roca a must-watch event.
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The first thing that hits travellers after walking out of the doors of San Salvador's El Salvador International Airport and into Central America is the sizzling tropical heat. Less than an hour's drive away lies Punta Roca, a right-handed pointbreak that ranks amongst the best in the world. Although the water isn't all that much cooler than the air, it might still be the coolest form of relief on the planet.
El Salvador is a Central American country that's been changed by the sport of surfing, with tourists from around the world flocking to experience its waves. While La Libertad is one of many global locales that argue over the 'Surf City' moniker, the fact the WSL Championship Tour heads there every year is a strong endorsement of its claim.
Griffin Colapinto flares up under a blazing sun
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
El Salvador is hands down one of the funnest events on tour. Punta Roca is an insane wave, everyone always hangs out and the locals treat us like royals.
Punta Roca is home to the fourth event of the 2025 WSL Championship Tour, the Surf City El Salvador Pro. Now into its fourth year, El Salvador has been a wildly popular addition to CT schedule with surfers, fans and locals all loving what they see. Here's why.
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Travel agents of change: El Salvador and surfing are friends with fantastic benefits
All systems go for another day at the Surf City El Salvador Pro
© Thiago Diz/World Surf League
El Salvador: A Pacific powerhouse and key surf destination in Central America
Did you know that El Salvador is the only Central American country without a Caribbean coastline? You do now! The Salvadorans have never let that fact bother them in the least and why would they, their 300km Pacific coast is teeming with world class waves. Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's president, is a big believer in using tourism to turn around the fortunes of his once-troubled nation and that means he'll do whatever it takes to attract surfers, who he sees as a crucial component of the country's tourism makeup.
By putting on the Surf City El Salvador Pro and hosting the ISA Games every year, El Salvador has showcased its waves to the planet and surfers have come flocking from all corners. Surfers make great visitors, too. Rather than quick visits to high-end and often foreign-owned hotels, they stay in locally owned accomodation for weeks at a time, pumping thousands of dollars back into the local economy at local shops, restaurants and bars along the way.
Caity Simmers hanging with local kids in El Salvador, for WSL Rising Tides
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
Surfers are happy to share their knowledge of the sport, whether the practice itself or the administration that surrounds it. In turn, surfing grows in El Salvador, bonds are formed and respect developed between locals and visitors alike. Best of all, when they're done, surfers will often leave behind old boards for locals to share with their peers and learn on. How good!
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Punta Roca: Where the world's best go radical
El Salvador has long been on the adventurous surfer's bucket list and while the challenges to overcome were many, the Salvadoran Holy Grail lay in the mythical, rifling tubes of Punta Roca. This was in the pre-internet era however, when only the best days were captured on film or video to be shared with the world.
João Chianca – happy man, angry turn
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
Molly Picklum turning speed into sheets of spray
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
Fast-forward a couple of decades and while Punta Roca definitely has its hollow moments, the men and women of the Championship Tour have proved time and again that the perfectly tapered, zippy right-handers are more suited to massive turns and huge aerials than to the folkloric tubes of days gone by.
Griffin Colapinto kicking fins over the Punta Roca coping
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
Jack Robinson and a seamless Salvadoran launch
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
Caity Simmers getting her tweak on
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
Yago Dora pulled some of the best contest airs ever at last year's event
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
From John John Florence and Yago Dora going blow-for-blow above the lip in last year's final to the endless aerial assaults of Jack Robinson and Griffin Colapinto and the brutal rail games of Jordy Smith, Carissa Moore, Caroline Marks and João Chianca, while tubes are on offer at Punta Roca the modern generation has made it clear the wave is a world leader in sections that demand getting radical.
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Wave of the people: Punta Roca's massive influence on local surf culture
The beating heart of Salvadoran surfing is Punta Roca, in La Libertad. The government's commitment to surfing goes beyond just hosting events and, as a result, La Libertad has seen big upgrades to transportation, accommodation and the overall visitor experience. While the wave has always drawn intrepid surfers, the recent improvements have seen surfers flock in far greater and more predictable numbers over the past decade.
It's hard to take your eyes off the water when Punta Roca is in full cry
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
Hometown hero Bryan Perez flying the flag for the local squad at Punta Roca
© Thiago Diz/World Surf League
With pumping Punta Roca the headline act of the El Salvador Pro, the event has become the centrepiece for international surf tourism, bringing a huge economic boost to the country. El Salvador once had a reputation for raging gang violence, so to see it now known as a surfing paradise is a remarkable turnaround. Although nothing is without its challenges, some reports estimate that surfing has created over 50,000 jobs in the country, as well as offering physical and mental benefits to the many Salvadorans who've tried surfing, loved it and stuck with it.
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Making the cut and chasing the crown: El Salvador's a vital role in the WSL season
John John Florence styling in El Salvador, en route to a third world title
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
The Surf City El Salvador Pro has only run three times, yet in that short time its easy to see what a bellwether event it has been for the world title showdown. In 2022, Stephanie Gilmore won in El Salvador en route to the crown. In 2023 Filipe Toledo and Caroline Marks did the El Salvador and World Champion double, a feat repeated by John John Florence in 2024.
Caroline Marks: defending back-to-back Surf City El Salvador Pro champion
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
Italo Ferreira dropping the hammer at Punta Roca
© Be Ryder/World Surf League
In 2025 El Salvador moves up the schedule, appearing ahead of the mid-season cut for the first time and severely upping the stakes for surfers who are short on results, with only the three Australian events remaining before the axe falls on the back-markers.
With Punta Roca one of the fairest playing fields on tour, expect performance levels to soar as hungry surfers with nothing to lose lay it all on the line, desperate to save their seasons in front of the huge, raucous crowds.
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What's in a win? The quest for Punta Roca dominance
Griffin Colapinto savours the joy of winning big in front of a big crowd
© Thiago Diz/World Surf League
While Punta Roca has only graced the Championship Tour for three years, strong trends are developing with what it takes to win. Much like the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro, an even canvas demands risks be taken and limits be pushed. This is where the consistent aerial prowess of surfers like Griffin Colapinto and Jack Robinson comes into play.
Caroline Marks and Jordy Smith have also shown repeatedly that sticking to the face is fine as long as you surf bigger, louder and more powerfully than everyone else. Meanwhile, John John Florence and Caity Simmers have scorched the field with their unpredictable and reflexive, cat-like surfing.
El Salvador also demands that surfers allow themselves to relax a little, to conserve their energy in the brutal sun and hot water. The ice baths in the Red Bull Athlete Zone cool the body, but also allow the mind to calm, while chaos runs free in the backstreets of town.
Caroline Marks and the surfing that's seen her win Punta Roca twice
© Aaron Hughes/World Surf League
Last year, with Punta Roca leading straight into the Rio Pro, competitors hung around and supported their peers long after they'd been knocked out of competition, a rare and welcome occurrence on the modern Championship Tour. The camaraderie seen on a packed surfers' deck was as rare as the smiles on the faces of surfers who'd lost, but were still enjoying El Salvador all the same, surfing their brains out to counter the blistering heat and somehow still getting to call it work.
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Bonus Fun Fact – What's in a name?
Rocky Point is arguably the most common wave name in all of surfing. Hawaii's Rocky Point is the most well known, but from New Zealand to Mexico, Australia and more, you'll find beaches aplenty that bear the name.
Punta Roca is El Salvador's Spanish version and, as you can see in the video above, it might just have the deadliest cobblestones of the lot. As any of the surfers on the Championship Tour will tell you, however, the world class waves on offer are more than worth the effort.
Follow Red Bull Surfing on Instagram for more updates from behind the scenes on the Championship Tour, and be sure to tune into the Surf City El Salvador Pro LIVE on Red Bull TV from April 2-12.
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