En Zipolite se teme más a las olas que al Covid, pero abandonan a salvavidas en “la playa de los ... El Universal Oaxaca En Zipolite, por el contrario, la policía no está presente ni para vigilar ni para auxiliar a los turistas. Esta playa es la única donde se permite oficialmente ...

 

En Zipolite se teme más a las olas que al Covid, pero abandonan a salvavidas en “la playa de los ... El Universal Oaxaca En Zipolite, por el contrario, la policía no está presente ni para vigilar ni para auxiliar a los turistas. Esta playa es la única donde se permite oficialmente ...

In Zipolite, the waves are more feared than Covid, but they abandon lifeguards on "the beach of the dead"

Mazunte, like the rest of the beaches, has an alert flag due to strong waves up to four meters high, which puts the safety of the bather at risk.

Pochutla.— Of all the beach destinations in the Oaxaca Coast region, Mazunte , located in Santa María Tonameca, is the only one that has a police presence, this at the request of the municipal authority, so the few bathers observe strolling along the small beach to the elements of the state police loading their rifles.

The uniformed men are attentive to disturbances, to verify that the safe distance measures are followed or to react to an incident at sea, which gives visitors confidence that they do not exceed 40% of influx. 

Mazunte, like the rest of the beaches, has an alert flag due to strong waves of up to four meters high, which puts the safety of the swimmer at risk. 

Photo: Edwin Hernández

Perhaps this is why a few visitors have come to this beach recognized by the Mexican Turtle Center and its work.

 For this reason and because since long before the pandemic arrived in Mazunte, there were already official limitations to lessen the effects of tourism on the local population, something that has now become a necessity due to the risk of coronavirus infections spilling over .  

The other face

Photo: Edwin Hernández

In Zipolite , on the other hand, the police are not present neither to monitor nor to assist tourists. This beach is the only one where tourism is officially allowed. Just a group of three volunteer lifeguards led by El Tijuana, a young surfer who came to his best friend's wedding on the beach three years ago and has stayed since then.

 But El Tijuana and El Pochu, another of the lifeguards, carry out this work out of vocation, since they do not receive support for what they do, neither money nor food. They only support themselves with the rental of surfboards.

For El Tijuana, even before the pandemic, he stated that every year the presence of tourists increased in this nudist destination.

"It is fashionable," he assures, but that is not why they are officially named as a rescue group. On the contrary, they are the ones who manage to support themselves, to the degree that the equipment they own was given to them by altruistic people.

Photo: Edwin Hernández

The increase in people has also led to more accidents at this site, formerly known as La playa de los muertos. So far this Easter there have been two drowning episodes, one died, an American, the other they managed to save. Another person died in January, after Zipolite had had a white balance for two years. 

Although visitors here do not exceed 40% of influx, the few people who occupy the beach insist on challenging the raging waves, despite the warnings.

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Oaxaca beaches Mzunte Zipolite Covid-19 Holy Week