This is mostly a surfing beach. Only occasionally the wind comes all the way in at this beach for kitesurfing. When this happens the water is from flat to choppy, with shore break from 0.5 to 2 meters. The waves are best in the wet season (December to April)(wind only until January). In the dry season waves are smaller, although with “Aguajes” or seasonal periods of higher tides and stronger seas, you can get good waves. Best way to try these waves is a downwind from Santa Marianita and try all the points from there to Manta! San Mateo is one of the best surfing spots in the coast of Ecuador and the longest wave in the country. Early in the morning it’s perfect for surfing, with glassy, endless waves that will carry you as long as your legs can take you. In the afternoon, when the wind picks up, it becomes a great playground for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The wave breaks left from the point for 150 to 300 meters on a normal day and 300 to 500 meters on a good day. The point can interfere with the wind, so be careful when kiting here as the wind gets blocked in some spots. Rocky bottom and gets shallow close to the point where the wave starts to break. Starting from Santa Marianita it’s possible to do a downwinder and surf the breaks of San Mateo and Barbasquillo to end up in el Murciélago and have a ceviche at one of the many seafood kiosks of the Malecón.

Small beach with rocks.

The wind in Manta is created by a strong thermal effect. The area around Manta is very dry; it has one of the lowest rainfall averages on the coast. This, combined with the strong equatorial sun, makes the air over the interior heat up a lot. Meanwhile the water is relatively cool, so there is a high pressure difference between the hot air over land and the cooler air over sea which creates the strong thermal winds. The wind usually starts picking up around 11am, and from 10am or so it’s already good for taking lessons. It reaches its peak at around 1-2pm and lasts until approximately 4-4:30pm. In the dry season (June to November/December) the water temperature is cooler, creating stronger winds. Expect anything from 15 to 25 knots. In the wet season (January to May) the water temperature is warmer, so the wind is not that strong. However, as the air temperature is higher as well, there are windy days during these months too (winds generally between 8-18 knots). Wind direction is mostly W ans SW, which means it blows sideonshore to sideshore from the left most of the time. The wind is very patchy here making it difficult to ride.

It is best to reach San Mateo doing a downwinder from Santa Marianita as the beach in San Mateo is rocky and the wind can be spotty.

In Manta many places to go out. Avenida Flavio Reyes is the main meeting point. The party starts at around 10pm at bars and continues after that all night long at clubs.