Skimming in Puerto Rico is quite a change from anything in the U.S. I was recently at a beach called "Tocones" on the north shore of the island and it was breaking really well. The beach has great slope into the water for extra speed. It breaks well at low tide and high tide is right on shore. There is no sidewash or anything special about this break, but it's just good skimming. Year-round water temperature is about 82 degrees. There is a pretty decent left about 35-50 yards out if you want to do any surfing. Wind does not really affect this beach. I was there with 20 MPH winds and it was fine. I can imagine it at sunrise.

Tocones is located about 20 minutes EAST of San Juan. The traffic on the weekends is horrendous so be prepared. Along the beach there are many family-type restaurants and bars (little shacks) and parking is a problem. You can go out anywhere near these shacks as long as you can find a spot for your car. Just look for a break with no rocks and you should see most of the people.

Submitted by John Lenker:lenker@cs.fsu.edu