Surfing

Surfable waves pound the West Cape in winter, from Playa Migriño all the way to Punta Márquez, north of Todos Santos. Beginning in the south, Migriño has an exposed right point and hollow beach break. Punta Gaspareño, a rock-bottomed right point break at Km. 73, breaks best in large west or northwest swells.

Playa San Pedro (Km. 59, site of the former San Pedrito RV park) offers fairly consistent right reef and beach breaks; paddle out from the beach to avoid urchins on the reef. A little farther north, Playa San Pedrito has another beach break, best enjoyed during a west or north swell.

Popular with novice surfers, Playa Los Cerritos has several left and right beach breaks. Ask the local shops about currents and riptides before you hop in for the first time. Experienced surfers will enjoy the right break off the point on larger northwest and south swells. Vacation rentals in the Pescadero area are popular with some surfers, while others prefer to camp north of Todos Santos.

The Pescadero Surf Camp (Km. 64, www.pescaderosurf.com) offers cabanas, campsites, board rentals, and instruction. The Costa Azul Surf Shop and El Diablo Blanco rent boards at Los Cerritos from dawn till dusk.

Mario Surf School (Cerritos Beach, tel. 612/142-6156, www.mariosurfschool.com) also rents boards (US$20/day) and offers lessons (US$60/hour), ding repair, and accessories you may have forgotten at home. Two blue beach umbrellas near the lifeguard tower serve as Mario’s office, or look him up through Todos Santos Eco Adventures (www.tosea.net).

Skating

Also at Km. 64, the Baja Life Camp (Barrio Las Palmitas, tel. 612/141-9440, camping US$10) has a skate park (1–6 P.M. Tues.–Fri., 11 A.M.–6 P.M. Sat.–Sun., US$2).

Swimming

Most of the beaches along the West Cape are exposed to heavy surf; however, on calm days Playa Los Cerritos and Playa Las Palmas offer sheltered conditions for an ocean swim. At Las Palmas, the middle section of the cove is usually the safest. Toward the north and south ends, the water looks shallow and inviting, but riptides pose a danger.

Yoga and Spa Services

Yandara Yoga Institute (Km. 73, Mexico 19, www.yandara.com) offers yoga instructor courses several times a year. Students prepare most of their meals from the house huerta. At Km. 73, take the dirt road toward the beach until it ends and then turn left.

Another studio at the Mini Super Los Arcos, across from the Pemex, offers Hatha yoga classes taught in Spanish (tel. 612/130-3006, 9 A.M.–10:30 A.M. Mon., Wed., Fri., US$5/class).

Rancho Pescadero (www.ranchopescadero.com) offers morning yoga classes beginning at 9 A.M. daily, plus advanced classes at 4 P.M. on Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday (US$4 per class). Several massage therapists have set up tables on the beach at Playa Los Cerritos. Call Minerva at tel. 624/164-6766 to inquire or book on the spot (US$20 for 30 minutes or US$35 for a full hour).

In a brick building three rows in from the beach, Los Bules Day Spa (Playa Congrejos, El Pescadero, tel. 612/118-1062, www.pescadise.com) offers deep-tissue, hot-stone, or Swedish massage (US$50), body wraps (US$45), and facials (US$40–70)—plus a Native American temazcal, or sweat lodge (US$20). The proprietor, Maria, is also a gourd artist. Her gallery on the property contains pitchers, bowls, animals, candles, and teacups—all crafted from hard-shelled bottle gourds.