Isla Todos Santos

Isla Todos Santos is a pair of islands off Ensenada in Baja California, famous among surfers for the big-wave break called Killers on the outer island. When a powerful North Pacific storm sends swell south, it detonates over a deep-water reef and rears into a giant, rushing right-hand wave.

Killers is expert big-wave territory, producing faces that can exceed fifteen metres on the largest winter days and drawing tow-in and paddle crews from around the world. The wave is thick, fast and heavy, breaking well offshore over the reef with a serious hold-down for anyone caught inside, and it has hosted big-wave contests when the swell and wind align. A left called Killers Lefts and a few other reefs around the islands give tow and paddle crews options as the swell and wind shift.

Access is by boat only, a roughly hour-long crossing from Ensenada harbour that adds logistics, cost and commitment to any session and keeps the islands wild and uninhabited apart from a small seasonal fish camp. This is emphatically not a spot for casual surfers, and even reaching the lineup demands planning.

Winter is the season, from around December to March, when the strongest storms track across the North Pacific and light up the reef; smaller swells still offer other, more manageable waves around the islands for less experienced riders. The crossing itself passes sea lions and seabirds, and the rugged, cliff-bound islands make a dramatic setting. For those chasing serious size within reach of the California border, Todos Santos is a proving ground. The islands themselves are a haven for sea lions and seabirds, and the crossing is often as memorable as the surf for those who make it.