Surf: General: Pioneered in the late 1990s by Miami expat surfer Shay O’Brien, who founded Chancletas Beach Resort with his wife Loretta and three daughters in 2003, The Boom earns its namesake season after season as the premier, booming beachbreak in Northern Nicaragua — where it’s nearly impossible to not get barreled. Everyone gets barreled at The Boom. It has been likened to a miniature Puerto Escondido for a myriad of reasons: its hollow, dredging, backdrafting peaks; its shifting sandbars and rip-strewn nature; its startling consistency; its three main zones: Coconuts to the north, Powder Puffs to the south and The Boom proper in the middle; its outside canyon which serves to magnetize swells; and its tendency to go onshore in the afternoons — unlike other, offshore-300-days-a-year Nicaraguan beachbreaks that benefit from the Lake Managua effect. However, those same afternoon onshores are actually preferred by many visitors seeking a high-performance encore to their morning tube bonanza. The Boom’s wedging ramps are an aerialist’s dream. On one hand, The Boom doesn’t hold much more than two or three-feet overhead before waves start washing through and doubling up. On the other hand, The Boom can often turn smaller, more pedestrian swells into overhead, peaky perfection while the more celebrated beachbreaks dish out nothing but Papagayo-dusted closeouts. Tides: ‘Morning high tides’ is the mantra here, at least for The Boom proper. The nearby rivermouths are another story. Size: 3-8ft Wind: E-NE Swell: S-SW Bottom: Sand Paddling: The Boom’s not exactly a shorebreak, but the waves do break relatively close to the beach. Two duck-dives and you’re in the lineup. However, with beachbreaks come rips, and with rips come sore muscles. Spot Rating: The Boom is a world-class, A-frame beachbreak that holds wider than it does tall, breaks really close to shore and doesn’t take a whole hell of a lotta swell to activate. Normal people get the wave of their lives here all the time. Access: You can roll up on the beach with your 4x4 or motorcycle, but it’s best to just stay right there at Chancletas and take the leisurely stroll down the path a half-dozen times a day. (Don’t forget your sandals!) Crowds: Crowd Factor: Time your trip right and you’ll be laughing with four or five other people relishing more waves than you know what to do with. Time it wrong and you’ll be straddling a single peak along with three other camps’ worth of ravenous surfers and their filmers. Local Vibe: Any hassles you encounter here will likely come from other travelers, or the odd expat. Nicaraguans are as humble as they come. Environment: Being just north of an estuary, things can get a bit funky during periods of heavy rainfall. But it’s usually nothing a steep beach and a couple tidal cycles can’t handle. Hazards: This is arguably the hottest part of the country, so take extra measures to protect against heatstroke, sunburn and dehydration. The sand gets so hot it’s been known to melt the skin right off peoples’ feet. But the wave itself is the main threat. The Boom doesn’t hold big, but it breaks a lot of boards — and bones. Season: May-November