It was time for some beach break. Swell had dropped a bit and shifted direction, so La Punta wasn't firing as it did the day before. No worries, there's a long stretch of sandy shore just about twenty minutes from camp by boat or by four wheel. When the swell is really happening, it's not the sort of place you'd take surf tourists like our crew. The waves are sand dredgers that break top to bottom, making fast moving hollow barrels. It's not the same as The Pipe, but it's similar in the challenge it presents board riders. Surfers such as us will break boards and dislocate shoulders in those conditions, not a fun time on a surf vacation.

But with a modest swell, La Playa is a great place to surf. It's still challenging in the beach break sense: waves peak over a wide expanse; you have to anticipate them far in advance and pull yourself into position with quick paddling. Once you yank yourself over the lip you have about 1/2 second to get to your feet, set a line, and get to the bottom of the wave. The faster your board the better for you, since speed down the line is crucial to success. There are hollow sections, sometimes more than one on the same wave.

The action happens just a short distance from the shore, and it's over a sandy bottom. Perfect for a five hour session on a Friday in Mexico. Half of the crew went by boat, the better to check a distant reef break on the way. The other guys went overland by truck. We rendezvoused, and the surfing commenced. I set the camera gear on shore atop a small sand dune, and began to snap the action. After a spell, Mike came ashore and took the camera duties. I rode my Pearson Arrow hybrid thruster for the first couple waves, but then got an idea. Mike rides a Haut long board nine feet in length. I am by no means an accomplished long boarder, but I thought his board might give me a second or two of advantage for catching the waves earlier.

This proved true, and I caught a lot of waves on the longboard. It was easier to stroke into them, but I had to plan well in advance. That board doesn't wheel about so quickly, and accelerating from a standing start takes a bit more time and effort. But once under way, the board coasted into water bumps that I probably couldn't have caught on my board. I went right, dragging my hand along the wave face to control speed. I went left and once dropped to one knee to grab the rail and pull into a hollow section. On the best ride I turned a few times, then pulled a backside floater that had the guys on shore hooting as they took a short break from the session.

We got over 500 photos of all the action, and previewed the unedited pictures back at camp that evening. I also used the satellite link and a laptop computer to check the Steamer Cam. Conditions appeared overcast and flat, with plenty of kelp floating in the low tide lineup at the lighthouse. Glad to be in Mexico I was.

CU Out There,

DogMan