drift, perspectives in surfing

Words &

Photos: Ed Fladung

In preparation for your trip in Mexico you can use search engines and various community-based websites to familiarize yourself with the different breaks in the area you’ll be exploring. Breaks are nearly always named after the nearest town and most towns have hotels, or family/collective run palapa bungalows or campgrounds. Buy a map and plot your mileage, assuming you’ll never travel at night (see Traveling in Mexico: Part 1) and that the average speed will be somewhere around 30-40mph. Make sure you leave a few hours of daylight on each leg of the trip to allow for contingencies like unplanned stops. And always err on the side of stopping for gas when you see a Pemex gas station along your route. There are several stretches of the road that, depending on what you drive, can easily leave you without gas if you’re not paying attention. Unlike the United States, there are no warning signs telling you how many miles or kilometers to the next station.

There a couple of relatively low-budget but highly detailed surf guides that can be found with a little snooping at your local surf shop or online. They are usually organized by state (Oaxaca and Guerrero, Michoacan and Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit, etc…). The guides will give you good practical information, help you understand local cultures and customs, give you the names of good places to stay, information on surf breaks located at specific kilometer markings and generally help you stay out of trouble.

You won’t necessarily need a truck or larger 4×4 vehicle traveling in Mexico, most of the larger breaks are located near the main highway and are easily accessible by standard car. Still, a good portion of Mexico’s smaller breaks are located at the mouths of river beds that swell with the summer rains and become impossible to access without 4×4. Even then it’s better to err on the side of caution unless you are traveling with multiple rigs with tow packages and a taste for adventure. Along your drive you’ll probably encounter military check points; smile, be polite and it goes without saying that you should not be carrying anything illegal (despite the recent legalization of personal amounts of several different kinds of substances). You never know who got the message and who didn’t. Again, keep your vacation a vacation and err on the safe side.

Most of the larger surf spots have well-established communities with tourist-supported businesses. You’ll find corner stores, taco stands and family-run restaurants. Each town has its own town square and church and there’s usually some sort of internet cafe close-by. Make friends with the locals and do your best to show goodwill and a smile. Your openness will be treated in kind. Mexico is a wonderful, wild, majestic place, still full of magic. With the right blend of open-mindedness and safety, Mexico is still the perfect place to get lost.

Good luck!