SOUTHERN OAXACA: UPDATE
Local camp owner Cesar Ramirez explains changes for surf media, visitors and locals
It was the place everyone knew but no one named -- until last year, when an article in a popular surf magazine revealed its tagline and location to the world: Salina Cruz.
Local surfers were not stoked on the feature. They immediately sent out an industry-wide email proclaiming a two-year ban on all surf media and cameras. Since this original reaction, locals have banded together, forming agovernment-approved organization to "protect and enhance" the area.
Cesar Ramirez -- Salina Cruz's first surfer -- realized the region's magic in 1991, when some traveling surfers showed him a postcard of a nearby point. Ramirez brought them to the spot, they pushed him into a few whitewater rides as a thank you and he was hooked for life.
After a few years of noticing an influx of surfers led down by people from Puerto Escondido, Cesar -- along with his brother David -- launched the first surf tour business in the area. In the last decade, three other camps sprang up in Salina Cruz, along with a host of individuals operating as "surf guides".
Given the proposed media ban -- and the upcoming south swell season -- we thought it was important to visit Cesar and find out about the current state of affairs for surf travelers in Salina Cruz. What follows are excerpts from an interview in early April 2012.
Salina Cruz has been in mags and videos since 2004. What was it that upset everyone and sparked the proposed two-year media ban?
The way they wrote that article wasn't necessary. It wasn't even a story. I don't know what it was. But it showed Salina Cruz as something that is easy to access for anyone. And they didn't show the real point of view of the local people. They made it a fictional story -- that's the part that pissed everyone off. They said there is "some delusional guy that is trying to protect it." And that offended all the local surfers because we've been taking care of the place, cleaning the beaches, trying to keep it in order so it doesn't become a circus. It gets more crowded every year but there is order. You can surf; you can get waves. It's not like places up there (I don't want to say the name). Here there is respect...the locals and guests share waves.
What was your reaction to the article?
I wanted to puke. They disrespected us and nobody said who did it. So that's why I sent an email to everyone -- all the magazines, people that work in the industry, photographers, pro surfers, videographers, writers, editors, everyone whose email I had. 'You know what? Somebody did something wrong and now you guys are going to pay for it.' And we banned them because they were exploiting the place like crazy. So if we didn't tell them to respect us, then they'd continue to do it. If we didn't stop the first guy, then the next magazine would do it.
Explain the email you sent last September.
I started with the last part of the article saying we were the delusional guys trying to protect Salina Cruz. Since 2004, we've been working with the magazines. The pros get paid more if they get a good shot, they put it in the magazine, the magazine makes money from advertisers and we don't ask them for anything. We do our work; they pay us. We don't bother them or ask for a board or say 'give me this, give me that.'
But after that article, everyone got mad and said, 'no more photographers' because they are taking advantage of this place. So we decided to form an association. And at first we said no cameras at all. But some of the camps work with the pros a lot so they insisted. And we had meetings and we said, 'OK, if they want to come here, they have to pay to shoot in Salina Cruz.'
So where will the money go?
The money is not for us. We're going to use it to fix the roads around the surf breaks where the villages are. When it rains, those villages flood, so the people don't have access to the highway. Sometimes even the highway breaks and they get stuck in their villages for weeks. Also, the kids in the schools; sometimes they don't have money to buy uniforms and school supplies. We'll go to the schools and help them. And we've been training with the Navy to get a lifeguard certificate and we're going to have a tower on every surf break where there are local tourists, because the government doesn't provide lifeguard services. And with that money we're going to give a salary to the ones that want to stay on the tower. So that's where we're going to put the money that we ask the media to pay if they want to shoot here. Otherwise, if they don't want to, they can go somewhere else.
One could argue that the surf magazines hired local guides and stayed in camps when they came down, thus providing tourist dollars to the local economy as well as aiding in growing and promoting Salina Cruz's overall tourism.
Yeah, but we already have enough. Like even if we didn't have the magazines coming, we have enough work.
If a professional photographer wanted to come to Salina Cruz to shoot photos, what does he have to do?
You have two options. In every country there is a Mexican embassy or a consulate and they can give you the permit. Or, our local association is going to start a website and you can email us that you will be coming down here and shooting for work or a company or pros or a group of regular surfers. The association will give you a proof of purchase and you can use that. Our association's official name is United Surfers and Lifeguards of Salina Cruz, Civil Association. The association has 33 members. And more than 16 work as guides or run a camp. There are probably around 30 local surfers in Salina Cruz. The rest [of the association members] work in the refinery or they have a store or are in the Navy.
"If we aren't organized, people will do whatever they want."
How did the association get established?
We went to the town council and we asked for permission to make an association. We went to the Notary, we went to External Affairs, and now we have a legal association and they gave us rights and obligations. We're also working with the lifeguards of the state of Oaxaca and the firefighters.
Say I'm a photographer from Australia traveling with a group of semi-pro surfers who aren't necessarily Mick Fanning. What happens if I pull out my lens and start shooting?
There are three options.
One: You can hire a local surfer that can shoot photos and pay them by the week, the day, whatever and you're helping the families.
Two: You can register with our association. We had a vote last week and decided how much was fair. We don't care if you're the photographer of Kelly Slater or a new pro guy, the photographers that aren't Mexican will have to pay $800 to the association. No more, no less, just $800. But if they don't want to give the donation money, they can bring us an equal value worth of lifeguard equipment because we barely have fins.
Three: If you decide you don't want to pay and you're going to shoot...we are not aggressive; we are not fighting people. We will go to Immigration, bring in an officer and show him your working permit in Mexico. If you have it, you can shoot.
So, does this mean there's no media ban?
No more ban as long as they pay or contribute.
What happens if you come across visiting surfers who aren't with a local guide?
The area is all sand dunes. There are no restaurants right on the beach, hotels or anything. The only things you're going to find are the waves and us. Nobody else goes there, not even the Army. So when somebody shows up in a rental car or something, we tell them: 'It's good you're here, but you need to hire a local guide.' That's only for foreigners and doesn't apply to Mexicans no matter where they're from. But the thing is...if we let people just show up, you're going to have 50, 60 guys in the water. This is one way to control the crowd.
Where do you see Salina Cruz surfing 10 years from now?
It's going to be hard. Salina Cruz is growing like crazy. In the last four years, they've built a highway, a tunnel and now they're building a huge mall. Five years ago it was still called a big town and now it's like a big city with traffic and everything.
So far, all the growth is on the side where the town is. But the side by the beach is going to start growing in the next three years. There's a project from the government that is going to build a beachfront by the jetty. They won't touch the jetty, but they built a water park on that road already. And they are going to continue to fix it and make it nice for Mexican tourists. They will have hotels and restaurants by the beach and it's going to grow.
So if we aren't organized, people will do whatever they want. Especially with the garbage and building on the wetlands. My brother is in charge of the ecological part of the association and he watches to see if there's an oil spill because we are the first ones to realize it...because then the fishermen can't work.
So in ten years Salina Cruz is going to grow, but we hope it will grow with order. And to do that, we need the Association to work and the surfers that visit to help us. There may be people that won't be happy with the way we're working, but I hope everybody joins us. It will help Salina Cruz. Otherwise, it will be a big mess.
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For more information, check out the Association's official message to surfers and surf media.
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