Surf Forecast  Zoo

Zoo surfspot characteristics

More about Zoo surfspot

In the ‘80s, Zoo was the discovery of the decade, a great barrelling, left reefbreak, which was surf central until Sept 2004 Hurricane Ivan’s 12-15ft (4-5m) waves blew the reef away highlighting how fragile surf spot ecosystems can be!

General: Before it was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, The Zoo was Jamaica's Pipeline -- one of the "best waves in the world!" A perfect left dominant "A Frame" complete with barrels going both ways, a solid level cobblestone bottom river mouth with cobalt blue water. Pound for pound it was as close to perfect as a wave can get. It delivered on any swell that could find it's way to the south east coast of the island. Not only would it provide a wave but it would bump it up a couple of feet bigger than anywhere else! It broke from 1' to 20' and it was the same wave no matter the size. The ride was a bit short though and being so perfect it could actually get boring after 20 or 30 years. Tides: Any Size: knee high to triple overhead plus Wind: N, NNW Swell: E, ESE, SE, SSE. Bottom: Cobblestone Paddling: Easy overall but can get challenging on hurricane swells. Spot Rating: One of the top spots in the island before a hurricane disrupted the reef. Still worth checking as the wave has returned. Best for more advanced to expert surfers'.

Intermediate to advanced

Park right there.

November-March, August-September

Crowd Factor: Low key. Local Vibe: Mellow.

Zoo has been slowly reorganising and has started breaking again, but not with the same quality it had pre-Ivan. The rivermouth is working its magic and the lefts are reappearing.

Nice Caribbean water.

Watch rocks.