I looking for directions to Quatro Casas and Shipwrecks in Baja. Also, which direction do they face, which swells do they catch?
Trying to be evasive here… is it quicker to hit the RedCross checkpoint, go W, and backtrack or should I bump overland at ST after the beer stop, risking a flat or getting stuck in the sand?
My normal answer is neither! I just keep heading S for another 220 miles, turning before SanIgnacio for the long bump out to the burial grounds of cool old cars. I love the sight of the two old pyramids!
Go south from San Miguel. Go into the mountains, and about 200 miles down, you will find them. They face south into the Sea of Cortez.
Good luck.
Let’s see. First I go to San Manuel in the mountains, about 200 miles south, then turn left, an about face. Thanks for the great directions. I’ll give you a full report when I return. How do I get back? Maybe I can’t get there from here.
Can someone give me some real directions?
As a traveller of Baja from 1967 to 1985, about 15 trips, from up here in NorCal, I can only tell you that there are over 5 shipwrecks that I’ve seen/surfed, and two different spots that was pointed out to me as “QuatroCasas”.
Now mind you, I’m old and my memories are fading quickly, but seems the famous 4 houses do exist about 150 miles apart!
I told you how to get to the one I thought was, but I was corrected during a long 4 week trip down thru that area by two of the four guys in the truck, the other guy not knowing for sure…as neither did we.
One thing for sure tho…it’s SUMMERTIME! Checking maps, you’d see GNegro blocking any chances of S swell action, especially the stuff generated from Mainland that hits PEsc.
My vote is… drive till you see good surf, or until you get clear of the GNegro S swell blocking action.
I’d highly recommend W of G Negro, drive slowly and carefully over the mountains.
Or between the two pyramid shaped mini mountains, head SW thru the tattered remains of trucktrailers, out to Open Eyes, past the pink mountains.
I don’t know what you are talking about. San Miguel is pretty far north on the Sea of Cortex. Follow the road south from there, along the western coastline of the sea, for about 200 miles.
Good luck.
I’m the one who’s confused!!!
Being no math major, and weak in geography, I get lost all the time.
San Miguel, and I’ve never stopped there, is just N of Ensenada, I think. I goof, SM is right point, crowded, territorial, tight parking, gets my avoidance vote.
Sea of Cortez is where I think I’m windsurfing when I go to Punta Chivato, Loreto, or LosBarriles. Not much in great waves there, and if there were any, once again I lose out!!
Red Cross checkpoint, the one the military asks you…“you got guns, or drugs”, is only about 50 miles out of Tourist Card checkpoint. OK, maybe 100. I’ve been driving nonstop for over 14 hours by then.
We used to surf a spot S of SantaRosalalita that we called “Miller’s Landing”. That was in the '60’s and early 70’s.
Punta Eugenia sticks waaay out West at GNegro, blocking S swells from deepest, darkest MexMainland.
But if you were brave or foolhardy, you’d take your '86 Honda Civic over the hill, up the non roads, thru the brush, and down the west side, to surf …W of GNegro.
And you know what really weird, I’ve been to OpenEyes at least 10 times, and never considered driving somehow to Scorpion Bay, which can’t be more than 150 miles SE, can it?
Shipwrecks or Punta San Jacinto about 100 miles south of Ensenada and about 5 km north of Camalu. Quatro casas (Campo De pescar) from shipwrecks follow dusty washboard road nearest the ocean north about 7 miles. super windy this time of year and water is freezing ass cold all year around. shipwrecks needs big south or big north to get working.
That’s my version, and where the RedCross voluntary donation checkpoint is located, where I make sure to drop a Finn in sight of the soldiers, smile, and head W, looping back to emerge at ST if the surf sucks…for more cases of Tecate and DosEquis.
Look for the bucket of used motor oil next to the olive tree with the sleeping dog under it. Go about 2 more miles until you see the big patch of dead grass with an abandoned cinder block house, make a left… Both spots have big billboard signs pointing —> that way. Hope you’re not planning to go this weekend. If you are, think about leaving the surfboards so you have more room for beer and fireworks. And don’t camp in the ‘free zone’ between the two breaks, unless you’re armed to the teeth.
Even if you do find these spots, there are issues. IF Cuatros is breaking it will be CROWDED. Not a spot that can hold a crowd. Not a user friendly place anymore. Some bad people around. I don’t take my wife and daughter around there much anymore.
Shipwrecks has a gated housing area now. Hard to camp around there. Also sure to get ripped of if you camp the beaches between there and Cuatros. Water is C O L D.
You missed it by 30 years. I’m sure there exceptions, but not often anymore
Anymore it’s best to go much farther south.
People that never go to these places are always the most protective. CC; Just look for a bunch of old boats up on the cliff above the break. Housing for a bunch of expats and part-timers. Unless it’s totally disenegrated there IS a shipwreck at “Shipwrecks” so you can’t miss it. The cut-off is south of Colonett, but before Camalu. These places can be dirty?dust/windy and crowed on the weekends, Bring water containers and a windbreak. Cuautro offers some wind protection due to the high bluff. Shipwrecks is usually offshore. This time of year there maybe windsurfers down there, so that can sometimes be a hassle. These spots are within a few miles of each other(hard miles), so you should get some small waves(s/sw swells). They are well known spots and heavily surfed, they ere definatly not in the category of super secret/localized. Any body that will cross that border even for a day trip is in for a minor adventure. Show respect to the people of Mexico and have fun. I will let you in on one little known secret though; Carta Blanca is one of Mexicos’ best beers. McDing
Turnoff for shipwrecks is KM marker 167 south of Ensenada, if I remember right. There is a big sign that says surfing on it and a dirt road with telephone poles down the right side.
Turn left after the fense, then turn right to follow the beaten path, then just follow the road till you see the ship. To get to Cuatro Casas, just follow the coast (don’t drive throught the dried up mud though, because it is only dry on the surface and you will get stuck) untill you get to a cliff with some houses and boat houses. probably 5 miles or so. Check for waves in between.
Shipwrecks breaks best on big south swells but it won’t be big. Cuatros breaks on a variety of swells and is always bigger than shipwrecks and also bigger crowds. Leave the shortboard at home if those are the only places your going to surf. Bring a kite too.
Let me know how it goes, I havn’t been there in a while.
Thank you everyone. The place I’m looking for is between Cabo Colonet and Camalu. Its been at least twenty years since I’ve been down there. So its good to get a few landmarks to go by. We’ll be staying at La Bufadora and then we’ll take day trips down to those areas. We’re longboarders on a mission to conquer the unknown. Do we really need to be armed? During the years I traveled all through Mexico, Baja and the mainland, 1965 to 1985, I heard lots of horror stories, but never had any problems myself. Well, once I got thown it jail in TJ, but I was drunk and disorderly. I quit doing all that stuff years ago.
that would probably be Shipwrecks. that ship has only been there about 15 years I think. anything in between can be found by following the road closest to the coast to Quaro Casas. here is a picture of shipwrecks I took about three years ago. I have allways got better uncrowed waves at Ejido Erendira south of the town and near the river mouth…Erendira is about 45 miles south of La Bufadora there is a sign on the main road for the turn off…you need to get a good map of Baja. have fun and be safe
Nice pix. You must be a pro. Thanks for the tip on Ejido Erendira. I’ll check it out.
You might want to do a Google search, or check through the archives of the message boards at some of the baja web sites. My recollection is that there were two persons/surfers murdered and one seriously injured, or one person killed and one seriously injured, (and vehicles stolen) in two separate incidents last winter. One close to CC, the other near or at Pta. Camalu.
I heard something about that too…it can get kind of sketchy around those parts. We came close to a bad encounter at Erendira. lucky I had my two watch dogs with us. Bandidos don’t like dogs. I heard that when the illegals are sent back to Mexico they drop them off 100 miles or so south of Ensenada.
Perhaps GPS can help.
http://www.off-road.com/dirtbike/jan01mhBajaGPS.html
May not be the right location, but I only looked for a few minutes.
The waves by the boat in that picture are just how I remember them. I spent a couple months at Shipwrecks 5 or 6 years ago and most of the time I had to take the fin out of my board just to surf or I would be dragging on the reef. It was fun and you could still get 200 yard rides, but it got old quick. The place had its days though, I had one of the best barrel session of my life all by myself on the inside of the bay. Not big but as perfect as you could ask for, deep sholder high barrels that never closed out. Had it all to myself for 4 hours untill a van full of kids with the YMCA pulled up. Then if there is swell and the tide is real high, it can get real fast and good right inside the boat, that only happened 3 or 4 times out of the 80 days I was there. Most of the time its a mushy, borring, but long wave. Quatros is the same deal just twice as big usually.