Surf Trippin in Mexico

sunsets in Mexico are always good,
the photos prove it isn't just the margaritas making one think that

Imagine minute long rides on waves like this.
I was riding my 5'11" quad made by Danny Hess - the perfect board for the wave

We shared the resort with countless lizards, geckos, and snakes.

Stepping out of the plane onto the tarmac of a Mexican airport is such a pleasant experience. That blast of warm humid air, the palm trees, basic blue and white cement buildings, all so familiar and of course the fact that all this means we are now in Mexico has much to do with the pleasantness.

our room and path to the beach

Drivers from the resort picked us up from the airport along with the other surfers we would be spending the week with and drove us to our new home. On the way we passed all the familiar sights of Mexico: taquerias, panderias, Pemex, the llantera, dilapidated buildings, brick walls topped in broken bottles and barbed wire, dogs and kids and men with cowboy hats. It seemed strange to me that we were driving by and could not stop and get some tacos or treats from the bakery. No Mexico on this trip to Mexico. This is a different style of surf travel than I am used to. More vacation and less travel experience.

The Crew:

Darrick (D-Fresh) and Tony (Tone-Loc, Loco)

Matt (MR)

Danny (DB) and Matt (Dr. Hunt)

James (Jimmy-Z, Jaime Town)

But now that we are 5 days into our week here I have no complaints. The trip has surpassed all expectations. My group of friends from college - the MR Ducks crew have been planning a surf trip for our 40th birthdays for a few years now. And this is the trip the group came up with. The group was expanded to include my step brother Matt so there are six of us who came down here. We chose a surf resort that is located right on two left point breaks. We decided for this over trips to other parts of Latin America where we would have to drive around and search for waves. This trip was chosen for maximum chillaxing time when not surfing.

Chillaxin

Another crazy good meal

The resort we came to limits the number of surfers they take each week to 14. They have a signed agreement with the local Ejido that no other places in the area can rent to surfers, giving our resort the exclusive right to bring surfers here. The fact that the waves are really good does attract a few "ferral" surfers as non guests are called. They are told with no uncertainty that they are trespassing and may not surf here and while they do they must give all the paying guests their choice of waves. I am not into this kind of surf politics (especially since I was one of those ferral surfers for 10 years or so) but since it means that I have been surfing 300+ meter long waves with between 0 and 10 surfers out for 4 to 6 hours a day with 6 to 12 foot waves I am not in a position to complain.

The resort does employ many people from the local Ejido and they are helping build a library and school so they do seem to do good by the community.

Jeff, the gringo in charge, was always amped to surf and looking for someone who had a few more paddle strokes in them. Here he demonstrates his homefield advantage.
Annette, Jeff's wife, was there the week we were too. She ripped as well. Both she and Jeff surfed Zippi Fishes. Jeff let me ride a couple. I rode his 5'5" on an 8 foot day and it was super fun - maybe the fasted board I have ever ridden. I am saving my pennies to order one.

The 5'5" Zippi Fish.

The camp host is a good guy (if you are his guest) and the resort is fantastic. While the six of us were on the beach playing boccie it felt just like we were camping on a beach in Mexico like we did together many times before. The only difference was when the game was over, instead of going to our coolers for another beer and firing up the Coleman stove to cook our dinner we had a full bar and lounging palapa at our disposal and we had truly gourmet quality meals prepared for us. The food was incredible - we were usually still full from our previous meal when the next meal was served but it was all so good there was no way we would skip a meal. (I took a four hour nap the first day and missed the Ahi appetizers that everyone raved about - I did not make that mistake again!)

Oh, and I must not forget to mention the air conditioning - a luxury us campers usually do without but for sleeping it was such a key!!

Milagros - the point in front of the resort which was less perfect and shorter but more powerful. When the main point got crowded (with 10 people) we would paddle out here and have it to ourselves.

no caption needed

We lucked out with the surf - it was head high when we arrived, the surf built to about 12 foot, and then died back down to head high the day we left. It was one of the best swells of the season for sure. The wind came up around noon so we had a six hour window during which to surf in the AM, and I would surf most of that, usually coming in for some juevos rancheros about half time. The wind would also bring the Portuguese man of wars (painful jellyfish) which was an extra reason to get out of the water. Most of us got a sting or two - none as bad as they can be.

I played with a go-pro camera on my board and helmet, cool footage, maybe someday I will get it online.

Matt Hunt (above and below) was ripping and surfing like an animal. Matt outsurfed just about everyone (he would have outsurfed me if he had not slept in on one of the small days (it was only head high to a little overhead - below his jet setting standards) These photos were the day after the swell peaked.

The waves were ridiculously long - the longest waves any of us had ever ridden probably. It is impossible to say how long they were and there was no way to take a photo that captured the length of the waves either. A wave could be ridden for an entire minute, which is a rare thing in the surfing world. Sometimes you would get out and walk back up the point, sometimes paddle back. Safe to say that after hours of surfing such waves there was a sharp pain between my should blades when I paddled, but the waves were so good I would paddle back out anyway, over and over and over again.

It was a true wave pig out.

MR throwing huge spray. He said on one turn he was pissed - this must have been it, getting his aggression out.

This is the only photo I have of the big day. I never stopped surfing long enough to take photos - always my problem. This pic is of me taken by another guest on his little digi camera. You can get an idea of the size - super fun - imagine riding that wave for a minute! I rode my 6'8" Monk on this day but did not need to - the wave is super easy.

Jimmy-Z drop knee master. Everywhere we go surfers are impressed (blown away) when they see James rips and that he is not just kook on a boogy board

James gettin barreled - one of da benefits of da body board.

The kids who came had Barbie dolls and a Ken doll that looked a lot like Darrick. I think he even had blue eyes. The girls gave it to him at the end of the trip. At one point when Darrick was playing with it one of the girls (about 6 years old) asked Darrick if he was "having fun playing with himself". We did a whole photo shoot with the Darrick doll and the Barbies - doing yoga, drinking margaritas, etc.

no trip to Mexico should be without the local stray dog pet for hire

Just what the doc ordered - Dr. Hunt killing it backside - I love this one because I remember the turn from the shoulder.

The following three wave sequence is me burning my brother - gotta love it.
It wasn't quite like that. We were supposed to be taking turns out there - camp rules - and it was my turn for sure. Matt went I knew he was too deep and I was in the perfect spot. Later he claimed I may have crumbled the lip as if he would have made it. I dropped in watching him drop in, planning on pulling out if he made it. But crumbled lip or not, he did not make it so I went on one of the best waves of the day...Thanks Doc.

Look carefully below and you will see him (too deep) and me under the lip.

Kuddos to D-Fresh for taking all the surf photos!!!!! He hurt his back and was out for a day or two so he took all these great photos but never had a single shot of him taken. I'll get you back in Plasket D.

What would an MR Ducks crew gathering be without the friendly game of extreme bocci. Tony Dominated the season with three or four wins. Only two others of us managed a single victory.

Three of the other guest walking back up the point. You can see the new resort being built in the background. Run by the same people this one is gonna be even more luxurious with a pool, and rooms looking out over the point.

The whole crew - guests and hosts. It was a good group. This trip was our 4oth birthday trip as the Ducks all turn 40 this year. On the ride in from the airport I told one of the other guests - Rob - that it was our 40th bday trip and he said "that's funny - today is my 40th birthday". So we were with the right crew.