I had always wanted to take my family down to the rugged coast of Chile. After the birth of our third child, I was able to take an extended paternity leave and we decided to visit Pichilemu/Punta De Lobos for a surf trip, as we are both goofy footers and wanted to get some serious surfing in. We also wanted to provide a fun and culturally enriching experience for the kids and go somewhere unique that we could take our 3 month old. We hadn’t heard of many families going to surf in Chile, so we thought it would be a cool opportunity to try it out and see what the experience would be like.
Punta de Lobos 
Los Morros 
Tidepools 
Conviento de Lobos
Chile is a very unique country. It reminds me a lot of Canada. It is rugged, harsh, raw, but very beautiful. We went in March, which is the warmest month of the year, but the water is still incredibly cold. I wore a brand new 2/2, with brand new 3mm booties and a hood and I was barely comfortable. Also, the jump off the rocks into the lineup on a big day rivals anything I have encountered for sketchiness. The currents were among the strongest I have ever encountered, especially on the big days and on low tide. Despite the cold water, the waves are among the most consistent anywhere I have surfed in the world, so it was well worth the trip. We went in their offseason and the locals told us that they weren’t going to bother surfing most days because it was too small. The smallest day was overhead and rippable, and we scored a few days of double overhead perfection. I soon forgot I was wrapped up from head to toe in rubber, when I found myself scoring 45 second long lefts all the way down the point and into the bay.
Most people seem to think that Chile is not a very family friendly place, so we set out to disprove that notion. We wanted to have an authentic experience, so we stayed in the Pichilemu Domos, which are rustic cabins with dome roofs. The unique structures complemented the unique landscape. Most of the accommodations around the area are variations of log cabins and the climate is very dry and dusty. Staying in and around that area also provided a unique cultural experience for the kids as well. We also stayed at a Conviento De Lobos, which was right on the point at Punta De Lobos, where we saw horses and alpaca walking through the property when we woke up to go surf. It was everything I had imagined about Chile. The kids were stoked on the unique animals and we were stoked on the perfect lefts. Surfing at Punta De Lobos was a dream come true for two goofy footers. While most of our family vacations have a good balance between surf and exploration, this one focused heavily on surfing. The kids were still able to run around the beach and tide pools all day while we were taking turns surfing and watching the baby. The people are friendly and the food is really good too.
We accomplished our goal of taking the kids to a unique, semi-remote and off the beaten path destination with really good waves. While we prefer surfing in board shorts and bikinis, the wave quality and consistency made it worth bringing all of the extra rubber. Chile was a great experience, not only for us as parents, but for the kids as well. It was clean and safe enough for our 3 month old and we were able to enjoy the uniqueness of the culture and landscape while taking turns getting perfect lefts!
