Disregarding our original route, so as to leave the icing on the cake for the end, we checked the forecast and decided to go to our “no doubt” place, Punta de Lobos. We hadn’t booked any sort of hotel for our planning was based more on the “go and do” than anything else. After much ado, we ended up in one of the best places that Chile has to offer; a log cabin with an eye on the prize (waves), in front of “Las Tetas” as the hills were affectionately nicknamed.
When I say beachfront it’s not a lie, even the toilet seat was placed in the center of the bathroom in order to prioritize the view of the line up. The swell was good, so there we stayed for two days surfing with perfect little waves to start our trip, 4-5 feet, offshore wind and a long period.
As our thirst for discovery grew, we decided to point our wheels towards Constitucion, which was brought to our attention thanks to Google Earth and a good mate. In Constitucion, we were hosted by a wonderful local couple: Guillermo and Jimena. They told us a bit about the history of the area and how we would be getting to the surf. The next morning we went to the port to check the waves. From the car things didn’t look too great and the wind seemed to make it even more difficult, so we took a moment to relax and had a nice homemade lunch. Later, after a post-lunch nap we went back to look at the spot. It looked even worse… but as we had nothing better to do we decided to get wet. What seemed like a lot of whitewash confusion, actually proved to be one of the many gems of the Chilean coast. A long and fast point that in two waves took you to the sand, only to walk yourself back to the point to jump in right at the take off spot. For those of us who live with endless closeouts and overwhelming currents, it was a piece of paradise.
We stayed there for a few more days, as the waves didn’t get any worse we wondered how would this place be at its prime. Eventually our feet began to miss the road and we had to move on.
A few hours south of Santiago and after half an hour on a dirt road (all I was allowed to say), we came across something that looked more like an abyss. Bajada peligrosa, (dangerous drop) said the sign, giving the impression that there was no room for error. Thanks to the truck’s low first gear and some good driving, we safely descended the narrow gorge. We crossed the beach and arrived at the campground in the southern corner of the bay, and parked the car. Hungry for waves we quickly hit the water. At that point, we still didn’t know what was coming, but that quick surf showed us it’s potential. The set up really seemed the unthinkable junction of the described peaks, with a left that curled from behind a tectonic plate hill and divided into long, but maneuverable, and steep sections over compact sand.
Upon exiting the water we began to really feel our lack of planning. Setting up our tent in the dark with one small flashlight wasn’t too bad; until we discovered that the gas canister we brought was even emptier than our stomachs. So we were forced to dig into the breakfast cereal. The next day dawned cloudy, windy and messy, so we thought it was a good opportunity to go get a new gas canister. Things got worse when we found out that we had to go to the nearest town to get gas, only to get even worse when we got back and discovered that our stove connector was not compatible with the Chilean cylinder. Once again we found ourselves eating snacks for lunch until we managed to set up a campfire stove. In the end, the stove was “built” and we went on to eat better. We waited a few more days for the promised swell, filling our time with reading, photography and endless discussions around the campfire on the rights, duties and ways of mankind (yes, there are still things to do when there’s no electricity). The discussions got so intense at times that alcohol eventually had to be banned for safety reasons.
