The best surfing at Dumpers occurs less than 100 meters from shore.
©2007 Scott Doggett, Special to WhozHereNow.com

On the east side of Isla Colón, on the road to Bluff Beach, are a series of breaks called Dumpers that take their name for the city garbage dump, which until recently was a huge, stinky eyesore where the waves meet the shore.

Dumpers is finicky—you can never be sure when its working until you get there, but when it is it consists of short, fast and brutally powerful sets that seem to come out of nowhere.

Surfers often talk of Dumpers having two breaks: the heavy outside one just described, that can produce rides up to 150 meters on a good day, and a much mellower inside break around a reef that's speedy with hollow sections on swells that you can see coming.

Neither break should be attempted by anything less than experienced surfers, and visitors should appreciate that Bocas natives view Dumpers as a locals-only surf site. Expect a heavy local vibe and leave your point-and-shoot at home, lest you want locals to trash it.

To reach Dumps, take the road out of Bocas Town toward Boca del Drago to where it cuts inland. Take the right fork, so you continue to hug the coast. You'll pass the burning city dump on the left after a mile or so, and after a couple of more corners you'll likely see surfers in the waves to the right. That's Dumpers.

Boards can be rented at Tropix, a surfers' store on Calle 3 (main street) at Avenida Central in Bocas Town, and at Flow, which also rents bikes, on Calle 2 at Avenida E.

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Location

East shore

Isla Colón

Bocas del Toro

Panama