Rincón: the surf town at the far end of the island

The town

Rincón was founded in 1771 and has about 15,000 people, 53 beaches by the town's own count, and one industry. The nicknames are the Pueblo de los Bellos Atardeceres and the Pueblo del Surfing, and both are earned: the coast bends around Punta Higüero so that every beach from Domes south faces the sunset, and the 1968 World Surfing Championship at Domes and María's put the place on the map for every surfer who came after. The plaza is small and inland; the life of the town is on PR-413 through Puntas and along PR-115 south through Ensenada, Stella and Córcega. Thursday night is the Art Walk in the plaza, 5 to 10 pm, with 60 or so artisans and the whole town out. Rincón Surfrider on the 1968 championship

The breaks

Big north and northwest swells arrive from December; October and March get the fewest crowds. From north to south along the point: Surf Atlas: Rincón

• Sandy BeachPuntas. Beginner

  Mainly lefts over sand, the learning wave, with Tamboo on the beach.

• Pools and Dogman'sPuntas. Experienced

  Pools is a heavy right point that wants 10 feet and more; Dogman's is rights over shallow reef, the most exposed break on the point. Jack's Shack feeds the lineup from across the road.

• DomesBelow the lighthouse. Intermediate and up

  Steep rights that barrel on a big north swell, named for the reactor dome behind it, and the most crowded wave in town when it works.

• María'sOff the point by the lighthouse. All levels when small

  Long rights, friendly at 3 feet, serious at 5 to 7 with the trade wind offshore. The championship wave.

• Tres PalmasSouth of the point. Experts only

  The big one: rights that need 15 feet or more and break a handful of times each winter, when the whole island drives over to watch. The rest of the year it is a marine reserve and a snorkel.

• Indicators and Little MalibuAlong the Bosque de la Armonía trail

  The point breaks between the lighthouse and Tres Palmas, reached on foot.

Lessons: Duke's at Domes runs two-hour group lessons at $90, with boards and ISA-certified instructors; Rincón Surf School is the oldest in town; private lessons run about $140. Nobody rents a board to someone who has never stood up, and that is a kindness. Lonely Planet: Rincón

Beaches for everybody else

• Steps (Escalera)Ensenada, inside the Tres Palmas reserve

  The snorkel beach, named for a concrete stair that washed up on it. Elkhorn coral, parrotfish and hawksbill turtles 50 yards out, best from May to October when the swell is gone. Reef shoes: the entry is coral and urchins. Discover Puerto Rico: Rincón

• CórcegaSouth along PR-115

  The calmest water in Rincón, a reef 50 yards out and a sandy bottom. The family beach, and where the family hotels are.

• Balneario de RincónThe public beach

  Picnic pavilions, a big lot, an ice cream window, the Harbor restaurant, sandy bottom. The municipality is spending $1.1 million on a new boat ramp, a paved lot and marina repairs on this stretch. San Juan Daily Star

• Marina Beach and Doña LalaEnsenada

  Calm, sandy, parking, El Ankla on the sand at Marina and La Copa Llena's terrace for the sunset above it.

Rincón is on the rip current list too, mostly at the surf beaches in winter. The calm beaches above are calm because of the reef; the reef ends where the surf starts.

Whales

Humpbacks pass close inshore from January to March, with February the peak, on their way between the Dominican Republic's Silver Bank and the open ocean. The land spot is the lighthouse park, early morning or the hour before sunset, with the telescopes there or your own binoculars; the Bosque de la Armonía trail along the point gives you the same view with fewer people. On the water, Taíno Divers out of the Black Eagle marina and Katarina Sail Charters run sunset cruises in season that often find them. Maria's Beach: whale season

The lighthouse and the dome

Punta Higüero Light was built in 1892, knocked down by the 1918 earthquake and rebuilt in 1922, automated in 1933 and listed on the National Register. The town built El Faro park around it: an observation deck over Domes and the whale lanes, a view out to Desecheo Island 14 miles off, kiosks, a burger stand, a bar and erratic hours for the little museum inside. Punta Higüero Light

The green dome on the beach below it is BONUS, the Boiling Nuclear Superheater: a prototype reactor that went critical in April 1964, ran at full power for three years, shut down in 1968, and gave Domes beach its name. The Department of Energy and PREPA keep it as the Modesto Iriarte technology museum, open by appointment only, and in practice the appointment is hard to get. The dome is the photo; the reactor is in there. Department of Energy: BONUS

Eat and drink

Discover Puerto Rico: where to eat in Rincón Caribbean Journal on the Pirata

Where to stay

Pick the neighborhood, then the hotel. Where to stay in Rincón, by neighborhood

• PuntasThe surf, the hills, the bars

  Sandy Beach, Pools and Domes below, restaurants up the hill, wind on the balconies. Casa Isleña (9 rooms, pool, on PR-413 at km 4.8), the Lazy Parrot (22 rooms), Tamboo Beside the Pointe (8 rooms on the sand).

• EnsenadaThe snorkel and the marina

  Steps and Marina beach, residential and quiet. Tres Sirenas, five rooms on the water with breakfast on the balcony and a four-night minimum; the newer Tres Palmas at La Cambija.

• Stella and CórcegaCalm water, families

  The two biggest hotels in town are here on PR-115: Villa Cofresí (107 rooms, the oldest, breakfast included) and Rincón of the Seas (112 rooms). Rincón Beach Resort (112 rooms) is just over the line in Añasco on a calm beach.

• The splurgeFar from everything

  The Horned Dorset Primavera, 16 suites with plunge pools on its own beach.

Getting here

• From San Juan, PR-22 west to PR-2, then PR-115 into town: 2.5 hours on a good day, 3 with traffic through Aguadilla and Mayagüez. PR-115 is narrow; PR-413 is the local road up through Puntas.
• From Aguadilla (BQN), 30 minutes, with nonstops from New York, Newark and Orlando. If Rincón is the trip, fly here instead of SJU. Mayagüez (MAZ) is 20 minutes.
• A car is not optional. A free shuttle circles the town in season, and that is the public transport.
• Desecheo, the island on the horizon, is a closed wildlife refuge: no landing, but Taíno Divers runs dive and snorkel charters to the water around it.

Rincón as a day trip from San Juan is on the day trips page; it is a long one. Two nights is the right number. The whale calendar and the festivals are on the when to go page.