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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

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Surfing Hurricane Carlotta, and Helping Hard-Hit Mexican Towns Local and San Diego surfers recall 12-foot waves: “And then it started getting really gnarly.”

Surfing Hurricane Carlotta, and Helping Hard-Hit Mexican Towns

Local and San Diego surfers recall 12-foot waves: “And then it started getting really gnarly.”






Anthony "Burrito" Zambrano charging Puerto before the storm hit. 
Damage along the coast near Mazunte.
Credit: Etel
Most of the month of June saw small surf in southern Mexico with the biggest waves created by Hurricane Carlotta. Burrito snagging a Puerto barrel prior to the storm. 
This was a sea turtle exhibit at the Mexican Sea Turtle Center.
Damage at the Mexican Sea Turtle Center.
Pemex station along the highway.
 Credit: Etel
Credit: Etel
Puerto Escondido was hit hard.
On the morning of June 13, three of my WiLDCOAST colleagues and I set out in search of waves along the southern coast of Oaxaca.
Our planned conservation activities for the day had been canceled due to the rainfall, wind forecast and presence of Hurricane Carlotta off the coast.
Unfortunately the wind was sideshore and the surf was blown out. This wasn’t the case where the hurricane was creating great waves.
However, we made the most of the 2- to 4-foot point waves. After all, the water was 82 degrees, and every once in a while a fun wave would line up.
After a few hours, a couple of surfers from Cancun showed up. They were staying in adobe and thatch huts a couple of miles down the beach.
“You guys know about the storm coming?” I asked them.
“What storm?” they replied.
“There’s a hurricane coming,” I said. “You might want to seek higher ground.”
On the way back to Huatulco, we stopped in at Barra de la Cruz, famous for its world-class right point. My son Israel, 16, spent the week there with local surfer Pablo Narvaez and his family.
“Israel’s at the beach surfing,” said Pablo when we arrived at his two-story bamboo and wood house. “The surf is small anyway.”
A few minutes later, Pablo and I arrived at the beach facing the point and were shocked to see 6- to 8-foot-foot shorebreak on the inside with 10- to 12-foot waves hitting the point. The wind was howling.
“I surfed earlier,” said Israel, who spent the week living on grilled fish and stalks of bananas picked from the local huerta. “And then it started getting really gnarly.”
In 1997, Hurricane Paulina hit the area hard, Pablo said.
We hoped Carlotta wouldn’t be so bad.
When we returned to , I was happy to find my good friend Daren Johnson and his son Josh waiting for us at the friendly Hotel Mision de los Arcos. They had been staying at some rustic huts at a spot further south.
That afternoon, the National Hurricane Center upgraded Carlotta to a Category 2 hurricane. Winds were expected to reach up to 120 miles per hour.
Later that evening, Israel and I gathered at a café on the Huatulco plaza with Daren, Josh and myWiLDCOAST colleagues Eduardo Najera, Ben McCue and Zach Plopper along with a Swiss surfer-engineer we met earlier in the week while surfing.
The wind howled harder and the rain started pouring. An electrical post exploded across the street.
After a round of tlayudas, we hit up the local ice-cream shop for paletas and headed back to our hotel to wait out the storm.
“Since I have experienced a big hurricane in the past (Wilma, Category 5, biggest hurricane in Cancún history), I wasn’t that worried. However, I forgot about the mountains and rivers that were behind us,” Eduardo said.
The following morning, the rain stopped and the wind was back to normal speeds. We decided to check the surf. Cleanup crews were removing fallen trees from the roads. But overall in Huatulco, the damage seemed minimal.
“Despite hours of buildup and uncertainty, Carlotta whipped through overnight fortunately not wreaking too much havoc in the Huatulco-Salina Cruz region,” Zach said.
At the point from the day before, we were surprised to see that the tremendous storm surf had dissipated. However, the waves resulted in local beaches losing up to 6 feet of sand, which may make it difficult for sea turtles to nest in some areas.
Further north it was a different story.
“The hurricane was really intense. My buddies and I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Anthony “Burrito” Zambrano, of Imperial Beach who was in Puerto Escondido. 
“The rain started around 6 o’clock, then it started getting really windy. The windows were whistling, the lights went out and our room got flooded with water like 2 inches deep. We heard things getting blown around. The shingles from a bunch of houses and hotels got blown right off their roofs.”
Dr. Carlos Rodriguez, a veterinarian with the Mexican Sea Turtle Center in Mazunte, said: “Over 30,000 homes where affected from Puerto Escondido to Puerto Angel. Mazunte and the surrounding area was a mess.” 
“Roads were closed, so nobody could leave their towns. In places like Mazunte, the community has really pulled together. But ... other communities like La Escobilla, Vainilla, Barra del Potrero, Santa Elena and their surroundings aren’t as lucky. Families lost their roofs, food, clothes and didn’t have electricity for 10 days, so there was no way to communicate.”
On July 8, Mazunte will hold a concert to raise money for the reconstruction effort.
“It has been a tough two weeks, but the communities are very positive they can pull through this mess,” Rodriguez said. “But there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Diane Castenada of WiLDCOAST has organized a fundraising effort to support those in need. Gohere to donate.
Serge Dedina is executive director of WiLDCOAST, an international conservation team that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems and wildlife. He is the author of Wild Sea and Saving the Gray Whale.
About this column: Serge Dedina's take on the waves and the people who ride them from a world class surf town in the most southwestern corner of the continental United States.Related Topics: HuatulcoHurricane CarlottaMazuntePuerto AngelSurfing, and puerto escondido







Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular

Chorus - The Movie ( Full Film)




Playa Zipolite ... Goal Almost Met!

Get Behind The Cause - Salvemos Puerto



Get Behind The Cause - Salvemos Puerto

From the IBA:
Puerto Escondido, commonly referred to as “The Mexico Pipeline“, is an internationally recognized surfing paradise and desperately needs the help of the global surf community.
The town of Puerto Escondido was devastated by Hurricane Carlotta on Friday 15th June, 2012.  Two children died when their house was taken by a mudslide, and one 56-year-old woman passed away when the wind from the category 2 hurricane flipped her car.  The beach side town has been severely damaged and is in need of urgent assistance to rebuild this community that thrives on tourism. (Surfline has a pretty comprehensive gallery and article on the hurricane here.)
The Puerto Escondido lifeguards are in need of help due to all damage cause by the hurricane. They used to have 8 towers along the beach at Playa Zicatela and now there’s not a single one of them. This is just one example of what is required to help rebuild the local community; another is to promote tourism back to the area to stimulate the local economy.
The International Bodyboarding Association (IBA) has launched a global campaign to “Salvemos Puerto” (Save Puerto).
The IBA is looking to raise US$100,000 for the base funding to stage the IBA Zicatella Pro at Puerto Escondido from August 8 – August 18, 2012. The event will be used as a platform to achieve the primary objectives of:
   1. Driving tourism to the town of Puerto Escondido and to promote the area as a safe tourist destination in order to drive the local economy
   2. Raise funds and mobilise resources to rebuild the 8 lifeguard towers at Playa Zicatela.
The core campaign is to sell 5000 “Salvemos Puerto” t shirts @ $30 each to raise the required funding to achieve the above objectives.
The Bodyboard Industry has also donated over $150,000 of merchandise at no cost to help raise the required funds. The following limited merchandise packs will be made available for sale with all funds raised going to the Salvemos Puerto Campaign:
    * $60 pack (x500 units);
    * $80 pack (x250 units); and
    * $100 pack (x500 units)
Turbo Surf Designs, Reeflex Wetsuits, Inverted Bodyboarding and Freedom Fins are donating products for each of the packs so that the retail value of each pack far exceeds the ticket price. As such it is a legitimate offering in its own right.
The campaign is to raise the first $100,000 prior to 8th July via merchandise sales through to the conclusion of the event via a viral campaign to raise awareness and funding globally.


Read the IBA's article in its entirity on their website here.


Riptide spoke to the IBA after hearing of their new Salvemos Puerto campaign concept.
Riptide: From where and who did the concept of “Salvemos Puerto” originate?
IBA (Gregg Taylor): When we first announced that the Mexico event was cancelled there was a lot of public feedback offering to help. But the IBA didn't think that was appropriate without a genuine cause, although once news started to flow through about the impact of the hurricane there was a genuine cause. This was seen as a unique opportunity for the bodyboarding community to make a difference.


The IBA’s post mentions that “locals” were chatted to in launching this campaign, after previous events you (the IBA) has obviously developed some close ties with the locals of the area, so who were you chatting too? Lifeguards? Hotel owners? Local business owners? Did you also discuss this concept further with the local government?
The locals we spoke to included the local Surf Association, lifeguards, along with local businesses (surf shops and photographers). They all really felt the event would bring the community together and help boost the (residents) spirits and economy.


What has the riders involvement been with this project? Do they fully support it, both in wanting to help the locals and are keen to hit the water in Mex?
The riders have been great and have been consulted throughout the process. There was full support (from) across the board and they have contributed to the campaign. They have made themselves available for promotions for the campaign and also to help once they arrive (in Mexico). We may even send over some riders early with a tool belt.


Is the plan to have the Zicatela Pro on the same dates as were stated previously?
The original dates for the event were August 1–11, although it has now been pushed back one week to August 8-18th.


The IBA is obviously placing a lot of faith in the bodyboarding community to help make a positive change in this area. Where does that feeling come from, why do you think bodyboarders around the world will want to help?
I have faith that the bodyboarding community can make a difference. It is a real test for the bodyboard community and possibly a defining moment for the sport. We were receiving feedback saying 100s of people wanted to help and they wanted bodyboarding to be taken seriously.  This is a chance for the bodyboarding community to show they can make a difference and are a legitimate market that corporate partners should engage with.


What’s the best thing bodyboarders out there can do to help? How do they purchase the t-shirts and the packs of gear?
The best thing they can do is log onto ibaworldtour.com and buy a shirt or one of the merchandise packs. In addition to that they can promote this campaign to their network of family and friends. The more people who know about the campaign the better the chance it will succeed.


What’s the best outcome that can come from the Salvemos Puerto project?
The IBA event proceeds bringing much needed tourism spending to the town of Puerto Escondido and then the media reach of the IBA promotes the campaign so that money can be raised to help with the rebuilding process. In summary, the bodyboarding community showing they can make a difference.

Diego Silva Puerto Escondido 2011

Coco Nogales Surf Classic Puerto Escondido Share this: Twitter | StumbleUpon | Facebook | eMail | LinkedIn The COCO NOGALES SURF CLASSIC, 3rd edition Dates: July 6, 7 and 8, 2012. Place: Playa “La Punta de Zicatela”, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico Starting at 7 a.m.


Coco Nogales Surf Classic Puerto Escondido

Share this: Twitter | StumbleUpon | Facebook | eMail | LinkedIn
The COCO NOGALES SURF CLASSIC, 3rd edition
Dates: July 6, 7 and 8, 2012.
Place: Playa “La Punta de Zicatela”, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico
Starting at 7 a.m.

Open to all surfers.
Get more information and sign up via roxelg(at)hotmail.com
Facebook: Coco Nogales / Roxel Pérez
or at BAZAR PUERTO ESCONDIDO (Calle del Morro en Playa Zicatela)
Divisions: Women’s Open, Boys 12-18 years, Open Men’s 18+, Expression Session
2012poster coco baja 682x1024 Coco Nogales Surf Classic Puerto Escondido
Coco Nogales Surf Classic Puerto Escondido

Pacific Coast Mexico / Puerto Escondido Date taken - Mon 2nd Jul '12 (8:00am)


 Pacific Coast Mexico / Puerto Escondido




Oaxaca Forum: Please help with info about Puerto Escondido


Vancouver...
posts: 880
reviews: 29
 Please help with info about Puerto Escondido 
We actually have booked for Puerto Escondido and would be arriving in the next three weeks. However, I cannot find any up-to-date information about the state of things there. I saw some coverage right after Carlotta hit and have heard that there is no water, beach is a mess, beach restaurants are wiped out. Government officials have visited and designated a significant amount of money to rebuild. It sounds like significant damage. Our accommodation has stated that there is significant damage but that it is "superficial". As much as I want to support the small businesses In PE at this time, I don't really want my 5 days of beach holiday in a construction zone. We don't want to cancel, and haven't yet, but until I get some up to date info I will will cancel and book the beach in another place. I'm waiting until Tuesday and then I need to cancel and rebook etc. We will have to eat our Aerotucan flights as well so it's going to cost.
Does anyone have any information/photos/anything about what is happening there???? Please.
1 reply
santa fe, NM
posts: 2
1. Re: Please help with info about Puerto Escondido
You will be fine...really, just fine...in Puerto.
Yes, there was damage...a great many trees down,
Two good restaurants badly damaged; Guadua and Cipriano's Pizza.
But the cleanup has been amazing ( Puerto shows its best face when the chips are down!).
Truly...driving around, you will see little damage.
I don't know where you are staying, but if you post the name, I can ask what kind of damage they had.

Bungalows Maresias



Bungalows Maresias  

Noche Buena and Jazmines Colonia Sta Maria, 71980 Puerto Escondido (Show map)
New!
Located on the seafront in Puerto Escondido, Bungalows Maresias offers a communal outdoor pool, BBQ facilities and a terrace with wonderful sea views. Each bungalow has a well-equipped kitchen.
Overlooking the sea, the Maresias bungalows have a spacious bedroom, a ceiling fan and a private bathroom with a shower. Kitchens include an oven, fridge and dishwasher.
Bungalows Maresias are situated right on Playa Zicatela Beach, a popular surfing destination. A craft market and a range of restaurants and lively bars can be found on the seafront promenade.
Free private parking is available on site. Punta Zicatela and the centre of Puerto Escondido are both a 5-minute drive away.
Hotel Rooms: 6