The south swell is running. The lineup is empty.

Manzanillo Bay Point - Intermediate/Advanced

Right out front. Troncones Point is a left that wraps over a rock reef on the south end of the bay, a five-minute paddle off the sand in front of The Inn — forehand all day if you're goofy, a long backhand wall if you're regular. Just respect the bottom: it's volcanic reef , shallow and steep takeoff on low tide. It's an intermediate-and-up wave that turns properly advanced when it's pumping, so get the line from someone who surfs it daily on your first paddle-out. Warm water, a and a lineup that's quiet by any standard you're used to.

La Saladita - Beginner

Saladita is the mellow counterpart to the point — about 20 minutes north, and one of the longest, most famous longboard lefts in Mexico. It peels off a cobblestone-and-sand point at the south end of the beach with a soft takeoff and slow, forgiving shoulders built for noseriding and cross-stepping, and rides run well over 100 meters — 200 to 500 on a good south swell, two or three minutes nearly to the sand, though the paddle back out is long. Bring a log or midlength, and it works on most any tide, all day.

The Ranch - All Levels

Bigger, faster, and more powerful than Saladita, a performance wave rather than a cruiser. It's a fast left point, with a right that shows off a nearby rivermouth when a big storm swell hits, and it works best on a solid south-southwest swell. It's also the mission of the bunch: the farthest north, reached either by a long drive up a dirt road — about 45 minutes from the Inn — or a 20 minute panga boat ride.

Palo Alto (A Frames) - Intermediate/Advanced

Further up the coast near the village of El Roble — roughly 45 minutes from Troncones and 30 from Saladita — and one of the emptiest lineups in the region. The break is an A-frame peak that throws both a left and a right with clean shoulders off a cobblestone bottom, and it can stand up into hollow, tubing sections when the swell's right. Because it sits behind a gated community and most other surfers have to boat in, the lineup is usually near-empty — which is the whole appeal.

La Boca - All Levels

Just north of Troncones and south of La Saladita. where the river meets the sea — a rivermouth break with lefts and rights over a sandy bottom, which makes it friendlier underfoot than the rock points, and like any rivermouth its shape rides on how the sandbar is built up at the time.