Puerto Escondido History | SURFLINE.COM

Puerto Escondido History | SURFLINE.COM
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

Great white shark caught by fishermen in Mexico

Promocional Huatulco

Huatulco - YouTube CYFOC - Corporativoby ReticularVideosNo views · Bahías de Huatulco.mov 4:27 ... Bahías ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFTlNrLdwjA

“ Birding out of Oaxaca City and/or Puerto Escondido

gatopaja

Vancouver...

posts: 794

reviews: 28

“ Birding out of Oaxaca City and/or Puerto Escondido ”

Apr 19, 2012, 3:15 PM

Can anyone recommend a bird guide for day trips out of Oaxaca City and or Puerto Escondido?

Thank-you for any help.

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titosarah

oaxaca

posts: 1,251

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1. Re: Birding out of Oaxaca City and/or Puerto Escondido

Apr 19, 2012, 4:45 PM

Destination Expert   

for Oaxaca

By all counts, out of Oaxaca the best is Roque Antonio. You should find his info by googling.

Alvin Starkman - Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast

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WilliamSteche...

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2. Re: Birding out of Oaxaca City and/or Puerto Escondido

Apr 21, 2012, 6:59 PM

You can also contact Roque Antonio at...oaxaca_sparrow@hotmail.com

He is excellent in Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz.

Bill Stecher

wmnmary@aol.com

Popocatepetl volcano's activity puts Mexico City on alert

Popocatepetl volcano's activity puts Mexico City on alert

A volcano outside of one of the world's largest cities, Mexico City, has begun spewing ash and molten rock, forcing the authorities to raise the level of alert for fear of an eruption. More

A Turtle Liberation in Mazunte, Mexico | Uncornered Market
Setting free baby turtles along Mexico's Pacific coast, in an area that was once hosted a turtle slaughterhouse.
www.uncorneredmarket.com/2012/04/turtle-liberation-mexico/

A Turtle Liberation: A Sad Story with a Happy Ending

 Filed Under:  Mexico, North America, Sustainable Tourism, Travel by Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott

This is a story about a baby turtle and how we helped to set him free. It’s also a tale of working together and conservation gone right.

“Blood is heavier than water. The surface of this beach used to be covered in blood, turtle blood,” explained our boat captain, a former fisherman, as he pointed to a sandy beach just down the coast from where we’d launched in Mazunte, Mexico.

He continued, pointing, “See the ramp? It was used to send the turtle meat up for processing. We would take all the meat from inside the shells. Everything was used. Sometimes we processed thousands of turtles a day. The meat was then sent inland. That’s where the money was.”

But that was then, and fortunately this is now.

For the sea turtles of Mexico’s Pacific Coast, as well as for its people, this sad backstory comes with a happy ending — in the form of a little turtle like the one above having a chance to survive to full term, hatch into the world, and with a little help, make its way into the wild as nature intended.

From Turtle Harvest to Turtle Preservation

In Mexico, turtles were big business. If the turtle eggs themselves weren’t harvested, grown turtles and every last bit of their physical being were.

In response to declining turtle populations, the Mexican government placed a ban on turtle eggs in 1971, but it was largely ignored. An official ban on the harvesting of turtle meat and eggs followed in 1990, this time with greater enforcement. And although it’s impossible to put a full stop to turtle fishing, the turtle slaughterhouse has shut down and there are steep penalties for people caught trading in turtle meat.

During the transition, however, the Mexican government took into consideration those whose livelihoods depended on turtle fishing. In addition to helping families set up guest houses for tourists, the government encouraged turtle fisherman to offer turtle tours – for travelers to witness turtles swimming freely in the ocean — as an alternative and more sustainable means to a living.

These days, that same coastline where the ground was covered in blood now plays host to local families and tourists enjoying a day at the beach.

One bay over from where the turtle slaughterhouse had been located, the Mexican National Turtle Center (Centro Mexicano de las Tortugas) in Mazunte now offers tours to school groups and educates them about sea turtles and the principles of ocean conservation.

From turtle harvesting to turtle conservation in a little over a decade. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

The Egg: Protecting Turtles from the Beginning

The center also monitors where various species of sea turtles lay their eggs and moves the eggs to protected areas along the beach. When the eggs are ready to hatch, the center then organizes “turtle liberation” (liberation de las tortugas) events at various beaches nearby.

When a turtle liberation takes place, they post signs around town announcing the time and location of the event. Everyone is welcome to participate – to learn firsthand about sea turtles, support the center with a voluntary donation, take a brand new baby turtle in hand, and release it to run free into the ocean.

Our Turtle Liberation

Just far enough back from the pounding waves of the ocean at Playa de Ventanilla, our turtle liberation organizer drew a line in the sand for us all to stand behind. He explained the conservation work of the center that helps protect sea turtles, from the moments when the adults deposit their eggs on the beach to when the babies are set free into the water.

Our organizer held up a large turtle shell, with the skull attached. “We found this two months ago. All the meat had been taken. People still capture sea turtles for meat. Our work is not finished.”

Then he went around with the basket of baby turtles, perhaps a hundred or more, to be released. They were tiny little things, crawling on top of each other, squirming to be free.

We could each choose one.

It was an oddly emotional event. In seconds, we developed an attachment to the baby turtles we’d chosen. They were so small, but surprisingly strong. Their instincts clearly led them; they wanted freedom to make their own way.

When we looked out at the water, the waves were so big and rough. They were more than we could take on. As tiny as our turtles were, we worried about how they’d ever survive.

But once we set them on the ground, they scampered toward the water with all their might. We were giddy, like proud parents, as we watched them disappear into the waves and swim away.

This would be the swim of their lives.

Not all of their brothers and sisters found the same initial fortune, however. Some hit the waves at the wrong time, were tossed about and landed on their backs in the sand. We took turns turning the lost turtles right side up, perhaps a little closer to the water to give them a head start on their life in the wild. After twenty minutes or so, all the turtles were in the water, the sun had set and we found ourselves on a natural high.

Sure, we had seen beautiful turtles in the museum earlier that day, but taking part in the launch of a baby turtle’s life into the wild was an entirely different experience. From blood on the beach to turtle liberation, an opportunity had been seized amidst challenge.

The following day, during our boat tour, we saw dozens of giant turtles swimming about, catching a breath at the water’s surface. Up, gulp, and back down. Large and graceful, they’d seen a few years.

We can only hope that when you take your boat ride someday, you’ll get a chance to see our turtles.

—-

Planning a visit to the Mexican National Turtle Center and a Turtle Liberation

If you are planning a trip to Oaxaca and the Pacific Coast, and especially if you have kids, consider paying a visit to the Turtle Center and timing your visit with a “turtle liberation.” Your kids will love you for it. And you will love it, too!

Because of the diversity of sea turtles in the area, you’ll find different species laying eggs throughout the year. We were in Mazunte at the end of March/early April and there were liberation events almost every day. However, we’ve been told that May to July is the high season for turtle hatchlings.

Don’t pay attention to touts selling “turtle liberation” tours for 100+ pesos. This one is easy to do yourself. Check in with the Turtle Museum (preferably at the beginning of your stay in the area) and inquire about planned turtle liberations. The schedule and location will depend on the condition and quantity of the hatchling baby turtles.

Our event was at 6PM on Ventanilla beach, just around sunset (also a spectacular photo opportunity). A collectivo or taxi from Mazunte to the road that goes to Ventanilla (2 km) should cost 5 or 10 pesos ($0.40-$0.80). From there you have a pleasant walk for 1 km. For a ride that gets you down to the actual beach, plan to pay a little more (e.g., 40 pesos/$3.20).

Unbridled ‘Almost Never,’ a Novel by Daniel Sada By RACHEL NOLAN Published: April 20, 2012

Unbridled

‘Almost Never,’ a Novel by Daniel Sada

By RACHEL NOLAN

Published: April 20, 2012

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If you read only three novelists on Mexico — and you should read many more, but that’s your affair — choose Juan Rulfo, Roberto Bolaño and Daniel Sada. Rulfo cleared the way for magic realism with “Pedro Páramo,” published in 1955, a decade before the Boom. Bolaño, a Chilean whose great subject was Mexico, asserted that realism itself was magic enough to support a novel, and his gangs of visceral realists and killers bore him out. Meanwhile Sada, who died last year, reveled in wordplay and mimicry in his Joycean celebrations of Mexico’s cowboy north.

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Pascual Borzelli Iglesias

Daniel Sada

ALMOST NEVER

By Daniel Sada

Translated by Katherine Silver

330 pp. Graywolf Press. Paper, $16.

Sada is already a cult figure among Spanish speakers. Bolaño’s appreciation of his writing (“of my generation . . . the most daring”) is splashed across the cover of the new English translation of his 2008 masterpiece, “Almost Never.” The novel concerns a 29-year-old agronomist and sex enthusiast, Demetrio Sordo, who works at an orchard on the outskirts of Oaxaca. Bored, he begins to frequent a high-class bordello, where he falls in love with a “spectacular whore” named Mireya, putting the proprietors on edge. “Such unhealthy devotion was causing universal unease at the Presunción: this was the first time in its history a client had come to sin as punctually as he went, with intrepid daily devotion, to his job.” Mireya latches on to Demetrio as an escape from the brothel, but circumstance and an uncompromising madam conspire against them. Her rate rises vertiginously.

Then, on a trip to a wedding in a dusty northern town, Demetrio meets the starchy Renata. He falls in love with her, too, and courts her through letters. It is 1945: modernity and Hiroshima try to elbow in on Demetrio’s consciousness, but he’s busy pursuing the ladies. An intractable love triangle ensues, in a satire of machismo run amok. As events force Demetrio to choose between the women, the plot takes a turn toward the outrageous. There are holdups in the red-light district and midnight flights with suitcases full of cash. There are faked pregnancies. There are uptight landladies and prostitutes who turn prints of “The Last Supper” around to face the wall before commencing their work. There is an overabundance of sex in all forms: anxious sex, joyful sex, furtive sex, martyred masturbation.

What is so daring here? It’s not Sada’s depiction of the Madonna-whore complex, nor his take on the delusions of a Mexican macho — although both make for delicious burlesque. What’s new is the voice, and Sada’s glorious style. Katherine Silver pulls off the near-­impossible feat of translating the cacophony of thoughts, interjections and slang rattling around Demetrio’s fevered brain, not to mention the continual asides of an arch narrator. Here is Demetrio attempting to write his first letter to Renata: “He couldn’t decide whether to write ‘Highly esteemed,’ ‘Dear,’ ‘Wondrous’ or simply, ‘Hi, Renata,’ or the name by itself, next to a drawing of a flower, using five colored pencils. No! Such vulgarity, quickly shunned. . . . Nonetheless, try, try, try again, knowing that sheer obstinacy would carry him to his goal, whatever that might be, which might provoke stentorian laughter that was nonetheless sympathetic.” Demetrio’s surname means “deaf,” and he’s fittingly oblivious. Still it’s impossible not to be swept along by Sada’s manic language, his Cervantean plot twists and his affection for the hero who shares his initials; and so we root for Renata’s swift reply.

While “Almost Never” is the more straightforward book, the author’s reputation really rests on a 1999 novel called “Porque Parece Mentira la Verdad Nunca se Sabe” (“Because It Seems a Lie the Truth Is Never Known”). Given its 650 pages, 90 characters and use of archaic metric forms like alexandrines, hendecasyllables and octosyllables, translation represents quite a hurdle. If only Katherine Silver would take it on.h

Rachel Nolan is a former staff member of The Times Magazine.