Puerto Escondido. American surfers have known for decades how to get the most bang for their buck. When it comes to maximum returns for minimum output, ...
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Puerto Escondido
American surfers have known for decades how to get the most bang for their buck. When it comes to maximum returns for minimum output, nothing compares to the Mexican Pipeline. What was once a hard-core descent into danger has become a relatively easy surf trip as many of the old inconveniences have been alleviated by modernization. On the other hand, the progress on land has drawn crowds and threatened the surf. Despite the changes, the star attraction remains: big, mean sand-bottom tubes.
In the Mexican state of Oaxaca, a 200-yard long stretch of beach receives the brunt of any swell activity from the south. Thanks to an underwater canyon formed by the convergence of tectonic plates, everything is funneled and magnified to massive proportions as it rumbles toward Puerto Escondido. The shifting sandbars along Playa Zicatela, named for the zicatela bushes that once held the sand dunes in place, organize the pulses into enormous A-framed peaks, the likes of which are rarely seen outside Hawaii. What was at one time a rather sleepy farming and fishing community was destined to become a surfing mecca.
Around 1959, a couple of surfers from Texas wandered into town and became the first to sample Puerto's power. Unequipped to handle the area's heavy, shallow, sensitive conditions on 10-foot logs, they continued in search of a more user-friendly destination. By the early '70s, random packs of Texans, Floridians and Californians were starting to find out what the area had to offer. The Gerry Lopez/Pipeline ideal hadn't yet caught on, and most travelers of the day were more interested in discovering the next Rincon, a wave you could play with rather than one that could kill you. Soon, however, the area became camp for groups of draft dodgers, drug dealers and other societal misfits who were tuned into the surf. Magazines quickly caught on and were exposing the new Pipeline by 1974, luring more travelers south of the border. Despite the influx, the many shortcomings -- from poor roads to shoddy accommodations to banditos to corrupt cops to drug traffic to mosquitoes, snakes, scorpions and stifling heat -- were more than enough to keep things unspoiled.
What visitors found, aside from the obvious faults, was the heaviest sand-bottom barrel in the world, one that could wreck bodies and boards with equal assurance. Prime surf season coincided with the rainy season -- May through October. During that time, the Tropics often deliver hurricanes and other southerly swells and the surf rarely drops below head high. In winter, west swells produce some of the best surf of the year, but in between there is nothing. The lineup, while continuously shifting and variable when it's small, turns into two distinct waves when a real swell hits. The right -- once called Carmelita's -- is a highly sensitive sandbar that breaks on a west or southwest swell and often closes out. Far Bar, to the south, is a demanding left that works best on a straight south. A pointbreak to the north is not world-class, but it offers fun, protected lefts to break the monotony of pounding barrels.
Early standouts at Puerto were inevitably Americans, as it wasn't until the '80s that locals got in on the act. Californians Casey Higdon and Tim Hinkle began trekking south of the border in the '70s, and both remain prominent fixtures in the lineup today. Many a traveling pro has made the journey, but for most, it was just another stop on their endless trip. Florida's Todd Morcom found what was considered the best Puerto tuberide ever caught on film in 1995, an impossibly deep right-hander that earned him "Barrel of the Year" honors at the Surfer Video Awards. Following the examples set by the pros, a band of locals has established themselves as world-class surfers, including Celestino Diaz, Omar Diaz, Carlos Nogales Escalante, Roberto Salinas, Rogelio Ramirez and David Rutherford.
Designated a tourist zone by the Mexican government, Puerto has endured unchecked development as its popularity with surfers and non-surfers alike flourished. The airport has received international status, the accommodations now comfortable and the food reliable. As a result of such unbridled growth, crowds have turned an already dangerous wave into a deadly one while the absence of local dunes has been detrimental to the sandbars. Coupled with a recent rash of earthquakes and floods, the Mexican Pipeline seemed to be losing its appeal.
But as the 2000s kicked in, PE's spitting tubes started looking tasty again. The X-Games moved it's surfing team event from Huntington to Mex in search of more drama, while a successful ASP-rated event sprang up to offer points for local and foreign thrillseekers. Meanwhile, a collection of fear-junky photo sluts used to racking up shots during the winter season, recognized a summer playground to push their limits and earn a paycheck. Loosely called the Tube Tour - an allusion to their willingness to chase waves instead of contests -- it included everyone from Brian Conley to Jamie Sterling to the Long Brothers.
Today, Puerto remains a purple-blog mecca, earning covers and accolades and mega respect. In 2007, Ken "Skindog" Collins' green bomb barrel at PE got him XXL Awards for both the Ride Of The Year and the Monster Tube categories. Two personal achievements even the most average surfer can solidify on any given trip - if they've got the cajones.
-- Jason Borte
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