Beach Breaks Don’t Get Rounder Than This

If heavy barrels are what you seek, look no further than Panama’s Playa Bluff. During its dual wave seasons (December-March, June-August), no place offers as consistently hollow surf, due to the frequency of swell, favorable winds, and steep sea-floor gradient.

But be warned: the excess of holes cracking up and down the beach are not so easily filled.

Some of the folks who frequent this wave (including Michael Dunphy, above) have a tendency to make the joint look playful, perhaps even user-friendly. I’m here to tell you that it is most certainly not.

For its size, Bluff packs more punch than any shorey I’ve encountered, and even at head-high, it can be extremely intimidating, not to mention dangerous.

So for every wave Mike gets regurgitated out of here, keep in mind that he’s the number 10 surfer in the world (and will likely finish that way in 2020), while the rest of us are going over the falls, finishing with broken boards and bruised egos.