TRAVEL HOME archives: FEATURES BEST BET TRIPWIRE WHO KNOWS? WOMENS FORUM GEAR DVDS AIRLINE BOARDBAG CHARGES TRAVEL DISCOUNTS BEST BEST BEST BET FEBRUARY 2009: CARIBBEAN Aquamarine water, warm tropical breezes, and endless set-ups from reefs to beachies - you might think we are headed to the South Pacific for this month's Best Bet. Read Full Story		Chile Use the pulldown menus and the 'load/go' button to load a region or go directly to a surf spot: Or click on the map below to explore the world: Text Only | reset map | show zoom | show map type Chile Regional Overview Chile, the goofyfooter's paradise, despite a very short surfing history (the first local surfer dates from the beginning of the '70s), has been increasingly in the international spotlight these last few years for its consistency, infinity of spots, huge, perfect waves (nearly all lefts), and crowds that some have compared to California in the '50s. Led by three of the best Chilean surfers, Ramon Navarro and Cristian Merello (local big-wave chargers from Pichilemu) and Diego Medina (winner of the 2005 Billabong XXL Paddle Award for a monster caught at Punta de Lobos), a solid Chilean scene is starting to emerge and progress at a quick pace. The country can be separated roughly into three big regions. The north has the driest desert in the world, and its rocky bottoms produce some of Chile's most powerful and hollow waves, which easily break a lot of boards, so be sure to bring a good quiver. The central region, which is the most accessible for its proximity to Santiago, offers many spots that are for the most part friendly, but beware: 15-foot-plus days are not uncommon, and 25-foot-plus happens on a regular basis. Then there's the south region, a pristine, green environment overlooking an infinity of left tubing pointbreaks waiting to be explored. With a national average of 300 days a year of surf, it is very unlikely to fall on a long flat spell. Swells hit the 4,000-mile coast of Chile year-round, and they can hit hard. Respect the locals and the environment, be careful of Pisco intoxication, be curious, explore, and you'll spend probably one of the best surf trips of your life here. SURFLINE FORECAST for Chile Extended forecast with surf heights, direction, period, tides, winds and more. Related Features: GABRIEL VILLARAN WINS RUSTY ARICA PRO CHALLENGE (06/10/09) Peruvian pro surfer Gabriel Villaran out duels fellow countryman Alvaro Malpartida to win the Rusty Arica Pro Challenge, a three-star WQS event in Chile. MAESTROS DEL GRINGO (07/24/08) Aguirre beats Medina in Chileno-heavy final on second leg of the Triple Corona de Surf de Arica THE MAKING OF 'SOMEWHERE...' PART 1 (05/22/08) Searching the globe for the world's best coldwater waves BEST BET APRIL '08: CHILE (04/03/08) South America's longest coastline is holding Related Tripwires: THE END OF THE ROAD (09/02/04) Surf Exploring Patagonia by Cennsa CALIFORNIA TO CHILE (07/07/01) A post-graduate surf odyssey Related Videos: TEASER: EL MAR, MI ALMA: THE SEA, MY SOUL (06/17/09) An environmental team of surfers travel 3,000 kilometers of coastline of South America RUSTY ARICA PRO CHALLENGE (06/09/09) Final day highlights held in epic surf at Arica in Chile ALL POINTS SOUTH (02/26/09) Check out insane left point breaks of Southern Chile and the pulp mills that pollute them SURF ADVENTURES 2 (01/30/09) Take part in traveling adventures around the world and see the best waves in the world from Brazil to Pororoca in Surf Adventures 2. Go to All Related Content for Chile Subregions: Show All Photos Northern Chile Central Chile Southern Chile