Biobio

13 Surf spots

Buchupureo Paul Kennedy

Buchupureo Scott Walls

01/4

families beginners

Positives

Handful of world-class lefts
Beautiful region
Very consistent swells
Cheap, friendly

Negatives

Really cold water Sandbank dependent
Exposed to winds & rains
Some pollution problems
Not easy to reach

Biobio surf travel guide

The word frontier is often used to describe this verdant southern region, but considering there is another 2500kms of coastline stretching down to the tip of the continent, it’s probably more like the gateway to the real frontier further south. The city of Concepcion is large and industrialised, creating various environmental problems for the close-knit community of surfers who have been battling to keep the coast clean.

The waves are often also a battle, with huge stormy swells sweeping in from the S and W and hitting a few newly discovered tow-in spots. Left pointbreaks are clustered in the north, while left rivermouths dominate the central and southern parts of the zone, including Buchupureo, a less than secret barrelling left. Many of these point/rivermouth set-ups rely really heavily on sand build-up, so don’t expect to get the high consistency rates of some of the rocky points further north.

There are some mushy, beginner friendly waves like Pullay and Rinconada, plus a healthy number of open beachbreaks that just love a small peaky summer pulse. Bring plenty of rubber as the water rarely tops 15ºC (59ºF) and there is plenty of rain in winter as well.

Surf spots in Biobio

Research the 13 surf breaks in Biobio and discover what spots suit the current conditions.

Break lowdown

We’ve collated the wave data giving you a unique insight into the 13 breaks in Biobio.

ability
ability data
Beginner	1
Intermediate	1
Advanced	1

bottom
bottom data
Sand	1
Uneven Reef	1
Uneven Reef & Sand	1
Boulders	1
Boulders & Sand	1

consistency
consistency data
High	1
Medium	1
Low	1

crowds
crowds data
Solo Surfing	1
Rarely	1
Sometimes	1
Often	1
Always	1

direction
direction data
Beachbreaks	1
Peak	1
Left	1
Right	1

length
length data
0-50m	1
50-100m	1
100-200m	1
200-500m	1
500m+	1

type
type data
Beachbreak	1
Submerged Reef	1
Point Break	1
Pier/Groyne/Jetty	1
Rivermouth	1

scroll / drag

When to go

Surf and weather statistics to help plan your surf trip to Biobio

Travel Information

General

Current Time
Tourists: 5,723,000
Population: 19,116,201
Tourist Info: Tourist Info

Money

Currency: CLP
Exchange rate: $1 = 538.75 CLP CLP

Communication

Dialing in: +56
Dialing out: 00
Emergencies: 911
Language: Spanish

Electricity

Plug Type: c
l

Visas

For most countries in the world no visa is needed for stays of up to 90 days.

Getting There

No visa required. Santiago (SCL) is well connected with North America, Europe and Australasia. National airline is LAN Chile. From Peru, Bolivia or Argentina, it’s much cheaper to get there by bus. From Santiago, there are buses departing twice an hour, sometimes every 15 minutes to La Serena, 6h away. From Santiago, it takes 6h on the Pan American H’way to Concepcion. LAN Chile flies 4x daily Santiago to Concepcion from $80 o/w.

Getting Around

Expect 8h with Buses Tur from Santiago to Lebu ($14-20). Buses are cheap, very comfortable and carry boardbags. A 4WD double cab pickup will cost $80/d, while 8 seat minibus is $135/d. Basic car hire costs $50/d at United.

Accommodation

Expect $15-25 for a cheap room and $3-5 for a basic meal. Lots of cheap seafood. Stay in Suhaila Resort south of Curanipe ($60/dble) or Cabañas Mirador Alto Las Brisas or Hostal Refugio del Mar in Curanipe, well used by surfers. Look for Cabañas Rucamar, Miramar or Costamar in Cobquecura. Contact Curanipetur for bookings.

Activities

cultureoutdoorurbanwatersports

Biobio river has world-class white water rafting, Impressive rock formation like Iglesia de Piedra near Buchupureo. Temuco City south is the gateway to the lakes and volcanoes like Pucon. Near Cobquecura is La Loberia, where 3000 seals live on 4 big rocks. In Concepcion Naval base, take a tour on the Peruvian battleship Huascar.

Hazards & hassles

Cold waters and windchill can cut down water time. Avoid winter if you’re not that hardcore. Lefts break mostly on sand, but some large rocks stick out. Pollution at some of the rivers is becoming an issue. A soupy fog can cling to the coast for days with huge dark pelicans gliding in packs and very curious seals. Some localism likely.

Handy Hints

– Take a gun along for 8-10ft days. Some gear is available in Santiago, but there’s no surf shop in Concepcion. Learn some Spanish. Educated people, gorgeous mountains, snow resorts, quality wines: Chile is very addictive, stay as long as you can.

Due to global pandemic, Visas, Getting There, Getting Around or Accommodation information and pricing may have changed. Always check Government Travel Advice before travelling.