Rincon's Famous Breaks - Steps and Tres Palmas

This image is from Steps Beach and Tres Palmas surf break. When we arrived in Rincon on Tuesday - this was the first famous break we visited. You can see the surf from the Road to El Faro (The Lighthouse). A dirt road leads down to the beach with a small turn-around for parking. I immediately recognized Tres Palmas from photos I have seen on the internet (keep in mind, there are more than three palm trees at this break). There were only two cars parked at the beach. They belonged to some people who were snorkeling. An attractive woman in her late forties and an older gentleman told tales of seeing beautiful brightly colored coral, some small fish, and a few baby sea turtles - how precious (86 the sarcasm). As you can see in the photo, the surf was virtually nonexistent - which means perfect conditions for snorkeling.

Also, nearby I spotted some surf campers with their tent set up. I walked over to get a good photo of the steps and say hello. After a friendly greeting, I became somewhat wary as I noticed they were enjoying a morning pick-me-up, passing around a bottle of liquor - a little hair off the dog that bit yah, just like Spring Break '98!

Julie and I never got into the water at Steps - though the next day we did cast off from Maria's Beach and paddled after some surf at Tres Palmas. Thursday, as a big swell came in, I had to avoid this break because I couldn't handle it as a kook (6 - 8 feet).



I was fascinated by the fact that as the swell rose, the surf broke further out from the shore - this has something to do with physics and wave height v. ocean depth. It was a powerful experience to see the Steps in still waters one day and then see white wash angry ocean the next.

Check out the video Tres Palmas - There Will Be Swell on YouTube. March 2008 the waves got Big Boriqua-style! Ah, the ocean's way of celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Spring Break '98. Well done lil' lady.

The beauty of Rincon is that these great surf breaks are all part of a Natural Marine Reserve. Kudos to those who have lobbied on the behalf of Mother Nature! As a result, they have a rustic - state parkesque feel. It reminded me of my days as a child at Selkirk Shores in Port Ontario, N.Y. Hope you get the chance to visit someday!