Surf: Barra de la Cruz was re-named La Jolla for the controversial Rip Curl Pro Search WCT event in 2006. A “once-in-a-decade swell” offered amazing conditions to the top 44 surfers, with deep barrel rides up to 12 seconds, being webcast all around the world. Following the event, a part of the surfing community lamented that the contest broke surfing's golden rule of not exposing secret spots. The heavily localized righthand pointbreak now gets crowded, despite its need for a big S or SE swell to even begin to show signs of life. Inconsistency aside, when it’s on, it’s worth the access charge to the village and these long, epic rights in a beautiful setup. Environment: Unfortunately, redirecting the rivermouth as it threatened the beach cabana built to cater to travelling surfers, has starved the point of some sand and holes can appear in the bank after storms. Pay a small charge for the beach facilities. Crowds have thinned and drifted east to more consistent spots. Surf: General: The fang of Barra's headland points South-East, which perfectly cleaves S swell and produces dredging tubes at the top of the point that give way to steep walls that hold their size into the bay. On a SW, Barra isn't much less perfect, if a little less dredgey and racey. Tides: Low-mid. Size: Chest high to double overhead Wind: W Swell: SSE, S, SSW Bottom: Sand, scattered rock. Paddling: Medium. Long paddles back out after lengthy rides. Spot Rating: If the sand is right, as good as it gets. Access: Long dirt track down to the beach. Crowds: Crowd Factor: It's bad; be patient. Local Vibe: Growing in intensity. Environment: Clean Hazards: Can be shallow. Season: April-September