Surf: Bombing black sand beachbreak that can be every bit as intimidating as big Puerto Escondido. Pascuales rears up any S swell from deep water and bludgeons the beach with deceptively powerful peaks that constantly shift and shut down the paddling channel that was there a minute ago. Handles the big stuff when the local chargers and camping devotees crack out the pintails and play roulette. Smaller swells can be picture perfect, but over-subscribed to and humour is hard to find in this town where the morning session is the only entertainment. Take a spare board. Environment: Watch out for thieves at the campsite. Surf: General: Pascuales is Colima's answer to Oaxaca's famous Puerto Escondido -- thumping, thick, fast beachbreak barrels with enough power to snap a gun and dent the biggest ego. Pound-for-pound, Pascuales is just as heavy as Puerto and offers up equally giant and terrifying, mutant A-frames. If you want to surf Pascuales at its most pristine, you'll have to be an early bird, as almost every day will see the wind clock around to onshore around 11am. After that the lineup becomes an unruly mess, unless it is quite small -- at which point the sloppy ramps are an absolute blast. Because the rivermouth just to the north replenishes the sandbars regularly, and because the offshore bathymetry is a magnet for swell, you're guaranteed rideable waves every day throughout the spring and summer. When it's pumping, the current is treacherous and the poundings as brutal as they get, so if you're not 100 percent comfortable with such conditions, Pascuales will not be your cup of tea. Tides: All tides. Size: Chest high to quintuple overhead Wind: N, NE Swell: S, SSW Bottom: Sand. Paddling: Tough going when big. Spot Rating: One of the best places in the world to get the biggest, most perfect, beachbreak barrels of your life. Access: Parking right on the beach. Crowds: Crowd Factor: Heavy when small, thin when big. Local Vibe: The locals charge—humility and respect recommended. Environment: Clean Hazards: Thumping beachbreak barrels. Season: April-September