Manatí / Mar Chiquita

Mar Chiquita in Manatí is a horseshoe-shaped cove sheltered behind a narrow gap in the coastal rock, which keeps the water inside calm enough for swimming. Surfers head instead to the outer reefs and the reef breaks at nearby Punta Palmas, which pick up swell from the north and northeast. The surf season runs October to March, when north-northeast swell typically produces waves of 3 to 6 feet on the outer reefs while the cove itself stays quiet.