De TrueEcuador , 09-08-2011

WRONG NAME - Your attemp to translate in english a foreign name (LA CHOCOLATERA-which is Spanish) is incorrect. It's an insult (calling it "shitbay"???)for a country culture and shows us the little (or nothing) respect you have for challenging places for surfing.
The TRUE and near translation may be "CHOCOLATE POT or CHOCALATE MAKER" due to the forms that the waves make when hits the rocks of the bay, Salinas people relate it with the form of melt chocolate making. (just in case:chocolate is a food from the cacao seed). Nonetheless LA CHOCOLATERA can be dangerous for surfing due to the rocks under the sea.

De Anonymous , 20-08-2010

Wrong name - La chocolatera is NOT shitbay, please change the name.

De Anonymous , 22-05-2010

Jake, bodyboarder from LA - how's it? had the pleasure of surfing this spot today in 10-12 ft surf, absolutely glassy!

a few pointers:
1. at low tide, you can walk along the shore to the private beach on the navy part of the base. only a 15 minute stroll from the gate.
2. the boats cost $10 now (according to the drivers i talked to). it's $2 to take a taxi to la chocolatera and have the driver go a bit further up the road, right up to where the beach at the navy part of the base is. fyi, the cab will enter the army gate and you will run into a guard where the road transitions to the navy part of the base. tell him you only want to check out the waves for a moment. you can just send the cab back.. they may give you a bit of hassle when you walk out of the gate without a pass though.. unless you use the shore at low tide ;-)
3. the first part of the wave is pretty fast. if you get sectioned off, it's easiest to ride it out for a bit and then paddle over to where the wave fattens up on your way back out.
4. if it gets croweded, line up at the back of the guys with skill, but ahead of the kooks. i got plenty of waves that way. a lot of the guys up front will keep taking off really deep, trying to one-up each other. a lot of time they won't make the first section, and you can jump in.. as always, be carefull and show respect.

enjoy this wave!

De Anonymous , 15-08-2008

Yankee go home! - What the fuck is a US base doing in ecuador!!?? Fight US imperialism!!!

De change the name to just SHIT BAY , 03-01-2006

"shit bay " is not the "chocolatera" - Ok, it's time to clearify a couple of things:

1) the "chocolatera" is located at the north west of the "Airforce" (FAE) part of the military componund (south of the hill), it is rocky, and dangerous.. not surfable.
2) "Shit bay" named (in english) by the US military people who dumped shit there in the 40's and 50's , and it's located at the west of the "navy" (Marina) part of the military compound (north of the hill).
3) Don't need to "greese" anyone, get a ride by boat for US$5 and enjoy the best wave , at least in the Salinas area.

THE CHOCOLATERA IS NOT SHIT BAY, PLEASE CHEANGE THE NAME

De anonymous , 04-07-2005

- whys it called shit bay????????????????????????????

De juju secret , 06-04-2005

shit bay rockssss!! - once i sutf with diana vernaza in this beach it was so cool cause the waves were 4 meters and perfect too.. and i like my sister´s friend but is secret i invite u to montañita to surf with me is the best u ever see surfing and people!!

De anonymous , 11-09-2004

an epic wave - i am from ecuador and i had surfed this place like 7 times from less than a meter to 3 meters once i surfed 3 meters whith 3 more friends and it was the best session in my life
the best sesson is in june if you want to have a good session wait for a biiiiig SW swell and dont hesitate i had surfed with many foreigners and they had said that it was the best wave they had ever ride so if you had the chance go and surf it
the best tide is in low tide but you can surf it at any tide i recommend to go in the morning and stay there till 2 o clock because most of the people that surf there has to work and they go in the morning but they only surfed for 2 hours tops so if you are lucky you can surfed with 5 more people and enjoy so take a good breakfast and go

De don't recognize this name , 21-08-2004

Shitbay? - I am Ecuadorian, and I know very well Salinas and the surroundings, including the navy base all these messages are talking about. I have been there every season since I was a kid, but "shitbay"? I have never heard that name in my life, I find VERY difficult that any place in Ecuador would have a name first of all in English, and secondly, with the word "shit" in it. The translation is "Bahía de Mierda", which is also a non-existing name, and I don't think any place would have "mierda" (shit) as part of it's name.
What I think you are talking about is this place named "La Chocolatera", very dangerous as far as I know, you can die if a wave makes you hit the rocks.
And yes, nowadays is not possible to go there through the navy base, and "greasing" the guys there is not possible (well, everything is always possible, just be careful), the access to the site was closed in late 70s since many people died, and guess what, yes, surfing there.
Nevertheless, perhaps I am just not knowing this so-called "shitbay", and "la chocolatera" is just a different spot near to it.

De anonymous , 05-06-2004

the best wave of ecuador continental - if tou want to surf shitbay you have to wait for a big SW swell
i have surfed many times from 3 foot to 10 foot height(1 to 3 meters)and is the best wave i had surf in ecuador
the only problem is that when the beach breacks is too crowded but if you had some luck you could surf it alone or whith 5 people in water
dont think twice if a SW swell comes whill you are in ecuador go surf shitbay
in the beach take a boat at bazan the ride cost 5 dollars ida y vuelta you wont regreat