Here’s one for all my surfer friends. Especially the over-the-hill pseudo athletic ones that watch all the videos, read all the magazines, and surf Pleasure Point semi-irregularly when it’s two foot:
There are waves at Zicatela beach everyday. Every single day. When it’s considered a lake, there are waves. When infants and toddlers can frolic near the shoreline with Papa, there are waves. When the Norwegians and Germans are paddling around on the back third of their rented nine foot soft tops, there are waves. It’s a wave pool. Every single day.
It’s winter here in Puerto Escondido. As places like Northern CA and Oregon begin seeing their most powerful surf for the year, Puerto Escondido sees their most playful surf. Some will say the lip softens up quite a bit down here during the winter months. I am almost ready to agree with that. Unfortunately I have a fat lip disproving that theory.
No matter what time of year it is here, there are piping water tubes up and down this amazing beach. Picture perfect almond shaped barrels. Big and small. Sometimes there are surfers in those barrels, but most of the time there are not. Thousands and thousands of water barrels. Detonating onto the shallow sandy Pacific Ocean floor like a guillotine.
Today it was six foot. I would say the faces of the set waves were about 20 feet tall. I watched from the sand. Ten guys out. All the action was happening within 150 yards of the shoreline. Full Magilla Gorilla. Lights out powerful. And my back hurt. And the internet was down. And I was hungry. No wait…thirsty. And it was closed out. And I was. And it was.
30 ft. above sea level, Calle Bajada Las Brisas, Far Bar @ Zicatela, 12/24/11, 9am