Special coverage presented by Costa Rican Surfing Federation, Colombian Surfing Federation, Panamanian Surfing Association, Nicaraguan Surfing Federation And more to come. Cover photo: Wolf Photographe

The Dominican Republic's Playa Encuentro will host, for the first time, Olympic-level games such as the Central American and Caribbean Games, which will take place between July 25 and 29.

Max Self, a local beachgoer along with several renowned surfers, deciphered everything there is to know about the wave in a brief interview:

What is Encounter like when it's epic?
I find when it's epic it's a wave of tubes that resembles Indonesia, when it's truly epic.

What conditions are needed for it to be epic?
It's a north swell of six to eight feet with 15 seconds and no breeze, those are my favorite conditions.

What swell do you remember from Epic Encounter that was impressive?
It was a day that, I swear, it was like Indonesia, wave after wave, tube after tube, I never saw it like that again in my life.

What was your best wave like at Encuentro?
It was on the left, in a part of the reef we call El Hoyo; that part of the reef is super shallow. I went in late, grabbed the rail, threw in a couple of pumps, it was super deep, I didn't think it was going to work, and suddenly I got blown out.

Which local surfers from Encuentro do you recognize as standouts on the wave?
There are several when the left side is super fun. My best friend Gian Marco is one of the best, and when things get really good and epic, Manuel Selman is the best.

How big does it get?
Encuentro is not one that can handle much size; after 10 feet it's a full close-out.

What's Encuentro like when the weather's bad? Are the waves always the same?
It gets pretty rough with a breeze, but there's always a little wave to surf. So if you want to surf, you can always.

What do you think we can expect to see at the Central American Games in Encuentro?
Lots of action, the waves will be small but fun, it's going to be great for flying and I think that's going to be really good, get ready to see a lot of aerials.