Surfing in Nicaragua

Nicaragua has offshore wind almost every morning of the year, and that is a geographical quirk rather than a marketing line.

Lake Nicaragua, vast and sitting just behind the Pacific coast, creates a temperature differential that pushes air seaward almost permanently. The result is clean, well-held waves on a coast that also receives southern swell. Few places anywhere offer that consistency.

The Popoyo and San Juan del Sur area holds most of the breaks and the accommodation. The coast is shorter than neighbouring Costa Rica's, which keeps travel simple.

The best window runs April to October, when southern swells arrive. The rest of the year stays surfable and considerably quieter.

The country asks for more self-sufficiency than Costa Rica: less infrastructure, less English spoken, rougher roads. In exchange, the breaks are less crowded and the prices lower.

Who it suits: the intermediate wanting clean waves without the crowd, and the guided beginner, on the sheltered beaches in the south.