Situated on the other side of the island, and providing the complete opposite conditions wise to renowned Pozo, is the big wave spot of El Paso. It can handle the biggest swell on the north shore, so whilst the main surf spots get out of control, El Paso is just starting to ignite. Offering a short left and a much larger right, the A frame has a heavy section to get the party started, before peeling off down the line and eventually breaking onto some vicious looking rocks that make the infamous Ho’okipa rocks look like a sandy beach. To the east lies the town of El Roque, which as the name suggests, stands high on a rocky and cliffy headland, poking out almost into the wave itself. The spot, working in an east or to a lesser extent west wind, is a rare treat.
I first tried to sail El Paso around 10 years ago with Nayra. The island was new to me and I wanted to explore all the options. We spent the first 5 years together chasing conditions around the island, but it almost always ended in failure. 1 or 2 degrees change in the wind direction can increase or decrease the strength by up to 15 knots. As an example you will be out surfing in the north with glassy conditions and the wind angle at say 95 degrees east. The wind will turn 5 degrees and within minutes increase from zero to 20 knots, perfect side shore. You paddle in, rig your windsurf gear, hit the water… and then the wind will either turn back to 95 degrees and drop back to zero, or turn 5 degrees to the north and drop to 5 knots onshore. The end result meant most of our sessions ended up with a long swim and normally a few dings on the inhospitable rocky coastline; such was our first and last attempt to sail El Paso previously.
