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Punta Roca, El Salvador: How to Surf the J-Bay of Central America
The right-hand point break that stopped the WSL Championship Tour last week isn't hard to reach, but it does require some preparation. A practical guide to surfing Punta Roca and basing in La Libertad.
By ZealZag TeamFioravanti Finally: Italy Gets Its First CT Win at Punta Roca as Moore Goes Back-to-Back
Leonardo Fioravanti claimed Italy's first-ever WSL Championship Tour victory at Punta Roca, posting a 15.33 to overpower ratings leader Italo Ferreira in the final. Carissa Moore completed back-to-back CT wins with a 15.10 to 13.84 victory over Tyler Wright.
By ZealZag TeamBryan Opens with 8.33, Fioravanti Posts 9.00: WSL El Salvador Pro Finals Day Field Report
Finals Day Yellow Alert at Punta Roca delivered the bracket the Surf City El Salvador Pro window had been pointing at — World No. 1 Gabriela Bryan opened with an 8.33 over Anat Lelior, Leonardo Fioravanti added a 9.00 over Marco Mignot to set up a Semifinal against Kanoa Igarashi, and Caroline Marks vs Molly Picklum went buzzer-beater to the wire.
By ZealZag TeamSurfing Punta Roca: Why La Libertad's Right-Hand Point Is on the Championship Tour
Punta Roca is a long, hollow right-hand point that breaks 25 minutes from San Salvador's international airport and roughly 35 km from the capital. A guide to the wave, the season, La Libertad as a surf town, and how the WSL Championship Tour event is changing how the Salvadoran coast gets visited.
By ZealZag TeamEl Salvador Pro 2026: The Olympic Gold Showdown — Finals Day at Punta Roca
After Thursday's lay day, Punta Roca's quarterfinals launch at 6:30 a.m. CST Friday with the event's defining heat — Ítalo Ferreira vs Kauli Vaast, two Olympic gold medalists, on the wave that suits both of them. Medina, Moore, and Silva are also in the draw.
By ZealZag TeamPunta Roca and the Salvadoran Pacific: A Surfer's Guide to La Libertad
The right-hand cobblestone point break that's drawn the WSL Championship Tour year after year — and how to plan a surf trip around the La Libertad coast, from Punta Roca itself to the softer alternatives at El Sunzal and El Tunco.
By ZealZag TeamPunta Roca Pauses: Quarterfinals Set as El Salvador Pro Takes a Lay Day
A lay day called Thursday at Punta Roca puts the Surf City El Salvador Pro on hold with the quarterfinal draw fully set — Medina through after beating Robinson, Ferreira advancing injured, and the women's bracket producing four loaded matchups before Friday's 6:30 a.m. CST competition call.
By ZealZag TeamPunta Roca: How El Salvador's Right-Hand Point Actually Works
Punta Roca in La Libertad is the WSL Championship Tour's most technically distinct right-hand point — a cobblestone-bottom break with three distinct sections, a swell window aligned to the Southern Pacific, and a performance ceiling that shows itself only when the conditions match. A guide for surfers who travel to compete.
By ZealZag TeamMignot Beats the World Champion on the Best Swell of the Week
On Day 4 of the El Salvador Pro, French-Mexican rookie Marco Mignot produced another Punta Roca buzzer-beater — this time over reigning world champion Yago Dora — as the swell climbed toward its biggest pulse of the event window. Day 5 brings the quarterfinals with the forecast in the eight-to-ten-foot range.
By ZealZag TeamQuarterfinals at Punta Roca: WSL El Salvador Pro Day 4 and the Bracket That Got Us Here
The 2026 WSL El Salvador Pro reached its quarterfinals on Day 4 at Punta Roca with clean overhead surf and the bracket nobody expected after the Day 1 upsets. The eight heats that decided the semifinals, and the men's and women's draws heading into Day 5.
By ZealZag Team
Race the Route: Surfing Punta Roca — El Salvador's World-Class Right
Punta Roca in La Libertad, El Salvador is a cobblestone right-hand point break of world-class quality — now hosting the WSL Championship Tour. Our complete guide covers wave anatomy, best conditions, getting there, surf etiquette, and local culture.
By ZealZag Team
WSL Surf City El Salvador Pro 2026: Day 3 at Punta Roca — Hanneman's Masterclass and Lelior's Upset
Day 3 at the WSL Surf City El Salvador Pro delivers: Eli Hanneman posts a 16.16 two-wave total, rookie Anat Lelior upsets 8x World Champion Stephanie Gilmore, and Ramzi Boukhiam announces his candidacy at perfect Punta Roca.
By ZealZag TeamPunta Roca Holds as El Salvador Pro Day 2 Bracket Takes Shape
The swell held at six feet and the El Salvador Pro bracket is forming: Hanneman's 16.16 leads the conversation, Ferreira fights to defend his title lead, and Girmay eyes a deep run as Round 2 completes at Punta Roca.
By ZealZag TeamLa Libertad Surf Zone: Basing, Eating, and Exploring El Salvador's CT Coast
Punta Roca gets the CT headlines, but La Libertad's surf zone runs thirty kilometres and three distinct village scenes. A practical guide to building a week around the waves — El Tunco for infrastructure, El Zonte for community, La Punta for access — with flat-day options that will surprise you.
By ZealZag TeamLelior Topples Gilmore as Punta Roca Delivers Its Best Opening Day Since 2022
Israeli rookie Anat Lelior eliminated eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore in El Salvador's most significant women's result in years, while Eli Hanneman posted the day's best heat score on his Championship Tour debut. Day 1 at Punta Roca rewarded everyone who had been waiting for a proper swell.
By ZealZag Team
The Central American Surf Circuit: From El Salvador to Pavones
El Salvador is the CT's Central American stop, but the surf circuit runs south through Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica — a Pacific coast route that covers black sand beach breaks, isolated right-hand points, and one of the longest left-hand waves on earth.
By ZealZag Team
Competition Opens at Punta Roca on the Best Swell El Salvador Has Seen
The WSL contest director called competition at dawn on June 5, and Punta Roca delivered: six-to-eight-foot faces, clean lines, the best opening conditions in the event's history. Italo Ferreira arrives at CT Stop 5 wearing the yellow jersey and a target.
By ZealZag TeamPunta Roca El Salvador: Surf Guide to the CT's Premier Right-Hand Point
A half-mile right-hand point break 5km east of La Libertad, Punta Roca delivers barrelling sections across cobblestone from The Graveyard to La Paz — here is everything you need to surf Central America's world-class wave.
By ZealZag Team
Perfect Swell Loading at Punta Roca: El Salvador Pro Opens June 5
Italo Ferreira arrives in La Libertad wearing the yellow jersey with Brazilians holding the top four CT spots. The swell forecast is the best Punta Roca has seen since the event debuted — waves won't drop below six feet all week.
By ZealZag TeamSurf Punta Roca: El Salvador's World-Class Right-Hand Point
Punta Roca is the J-Bay of Central America — a cobblestone freight train that delivers 300-meter rights on a good swell. Everything you need to surf El Salvador's crown jewel: wave conditions, best season, travel logistics, and local tips.
By ZealZag TeamWSL El Salvador Pro 2026: Ferreira Leads into Punta Roca Showdown
Italo Ferreira carries the WSL Championship Tour yellow leader jersey into Punta Roca as the Surf City El Salvador Pro opens with clean 4–6 foot rights peeling the full length of the cobblestone point.
By ZealZag Team