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A little about Playa Zipolite, The Beach of the Dead . . .

Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean. A little bit about my favorite little get-away on this small world of ours.

Zipolite, a sweaty 30-minute walk west from Puerto Angel, brings you to Playa Zipolite and another world. The feeling here is 1970's - Led Zep, Marley, and scruffy gringos.

A long, long time ago, Zipolite beach was usually visited by the Zapotecans...who made it a magical place. They came to visit Zipolite to meditate, or just to rest.

Recently, this beach has begun to receive day-trippers from Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido, giving it a more TOURISTY feel than before.

Most people come here for the novelty of the nude beach, yoga, turtles, seafood, surf, meditation, vegetarians, discos, party, to get burnt by the sun, or to see how long they can stretch their skinny budget.

I post WWW Oaxaca, Mexico, Zipolite and areas nearby information. Also general budget, backpacker, surfer, off the beaten path, Mexico and beyond, information.

REMEMBER: Everyone is welcome at Zipolite.

ivan

Friday, July 27, 2012

Wave of the Summer… At Puerto Escondido!



Wave of the Summer… At Puerto Escondido!


JULY 24, 2012
Although the title is a bit pretentious, you can’t blame Surfline and Nike for believing their own hype about the ‘Wave of the Summer’ competition.  While their contest of (almost) the same name, ‘Wave of the Winter’ included every break along the 7 Mile Miracle, a.k.a the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, the summertime version only includes waves ridden at Puerto Escondido in Mexico’s Oaxaca region.  No one will argue the fact that during the Northern Hemisphere winter, there is a 99% chance that the best waves in the world over the course of the season are breaking on the North Shore.  It is not the surfing world’s version of Mecca for nothing!

Filipe Cesarano pulling into his chance to win $15,000 at Playa Zicatela, a.k.a. the Mexican Pipeline! Frame grab: Wave of the Summer entry / Andres Petroni
However, even though Puerto’s number one spot, Playa Zicatela is nicknamed the Mexican Pipeline, the chances of it serving up the best wave in world this summer are not nearly as high as for the North Shore in winter.  Especially when taking into consideration that Tahiti, Fiji and the Mentawais are also firing on all cylinders in the same swell window.

Dave Wassel on his way to a beer break after another “wave of the summer” at Cloudbreak. Frame grab: Fiji Freight Trains / Volcom Stone YAE
Nonetheless, the bookmakers at Nike and Surfline decided to go with a spot that at least has a shot at taking the top spot at the finish line, rather than betting on a rank outsider, or shooting for a tri-fecta by opening up the contest to multiple locations. If not for the historic swell at Cloudbreak, it looks like their bet may have paid off.

Alex Gray was on hand for the historic Fiji swell, and has scored a few bombs this summer in Puerto Escondido too. Lucky man! Frame grab: Wave of the Summer entry / Andres Petroni
No matter what your take is, you can’t argue that there have been some amazing waves crashing down at the premiere break in Mainland Mexico this summer, and as a cherry on the cake, that a local Mexican surfer will most likely be the one following in the footsteps of Reef McIntosh and walking away with the $15,000 winner take all prize money!
On or about August 31, 2012 an esteemed judging panel of Peter Mel, Roger Ramirez, Ruben Pina, and Roberto Salinas will select the ultimate winning wave/surfer as well as the season’s Overall Performance Award based on the following criteria (“Judging Criteria”):
- Wave Size (25%);
- Degree of Difficulty of Maneuvers (25%);
- Style (25%); and
- Overall “Heaviness” Factor (25%).
May the best man (or woman) win! Amen!







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ivan