Paddling near Antofagasta, Antofagasta

Antofagasta sits on the Atacama Desert coast of northern Chile, where the Humboldt Current keeps the Pacific cold and remarkably clear. Sea kayaking is the dominant paddling discipline here, with operators running guided expeditions along the rugged Punta Angamos coastline, past guano-era ruins, and toward beaches like Playa Áncora. SUP is practiced locally, with tracked routes around the Balneario de Antofagasta and out toward Isla Santa María. The quebradas nearby are dry desert ravines rather than navigable waterways, so virtually all paddling is coastal and ocean-based.