The Surf Brands Arrive

I was only a matter of time.  Time marches on an it was inevitable.  The global surf and surf lifestyle brands have arrived.  With the completion of the hotel in the center of town, the retail spaces are premium locations for those who can afford it. A couple restaurants occupy some of the space but two well known, world wide surf brands have also moved it.  ROXY and BILLABONG.

I saw the arrival of big brands during my days back in Park City and it resulted in many of the smaller and locally owned operations closing. I wrote about the arrival of chain stores in Sayulita back in 2017. Fortunately, it appears that these stores will mostly offer their own clothing lines but I cannot be 100% certain.  All I know is that the chain stores cashing in on the Sayulita surf lifestyle have arrived.  They were not the necessarily the first chain stores in town but they will most certainly not be the last.

Sayulita Scenes - Early Morning SUP Surf

I cannot tell whether Trace is checking to make sure dad is ok on a demanding day or whether he is making sure I wasn't going to take his wave.  Either way, fun shot of the two of us out early in Sayulita.

Photo by Spencer Ian Harris

Sayulita Scenes - A Day In The Life Of Trace

No, not really an uncommon sight in our pueblo but an awesome shot just the same.  Trace, on right, strolling down the cobblestone streets of Sayulita after a surf session with his best buddies.  This is pretty much how T-Man rolls.  He comes home from school, checks in with his amigos and heads to the beach for stand up paddle board racing practice or grabs his SUP surfboard and paddle to find some waves.

Photo by Kevin

Sayulita Scenes - "The Swell" January 2018!

The waves have been really good out front here in Sayulita.  Out for more later today and tomorrow and...   Awesome photo by Curt Barter.

Trace - "The Surfer"

This post marks the day when we saw Trace become a "Surfer".  Not just a kid who plays in the waves but a "Surfer".  He has been showing a growing interest in SUP surfing in the last year and we have been going out early almost everyday this summer.  He has two friends who are brothers who also have been developing the same passion for the sport.  I been trying to coach them a little on safety and surf etiquette in the main break and it has gone well to this point since the waves have been smaller and the crowds have been less aggressive in the mornings.  Technique is all self taught by the boys themselves and by some cross over from their SUP Paddleboard Race Team experience.

Yesterday, with the surf building, the boys had a taste of larger and better waves in the morning and they decided they wanted to go out in the afternoon as well.  Afternoon or Happy Hour surf time is usually a very local time to surf and the the caliber of surfers can be much higher than in the mornings.  The waves were bigger, the surfers were faster, the action was hectic and I sat nervously on the beach with the other boy's dad and watched.

All the boys did great!!  They rode waves that were theirs and got off waves that were not.  They dropped into waves well over their heads at a time of day that I totally avoid altogether just based on the who is generally out there at the time.  They acted like they belonged there and they did.  We were so impressed with these new surfers!  One of the best parts was having a local SUP Pro, Felipe Rodriguez Lorenzo (aka "Pipe"), take them under his wing while they were out there.  He would have them sit down and huddle up and he would tell them where to catch the best waves and other tips.  Really?  This guy finished 8th in the 2016 World Championships in Fiji and he takes time out of his training to coach the kids.  The best SUP surfer in Mexico.  Just AWESOME!  He totally has a bunch of new fans in these boys and their dads who watched this go down.

"Sayulita Bros" 

Anyway, it looks like this is a real interest of Trace's and we think that is great.  We have been waiting for either of the kids to really show some interest in the ocean and it has now officially begun.  Looks like we need to find a way for Trace to get his board down to the beach on his own too.  His 10 year old arms just can't handle his board yet for very far.  We will have to work on that.

"Pipe"

Triumph

A few weeks ago the ISA, International Surfing Association, held it's World Stand Up Paddle and Paddleboard Championships in Lima, Peru.  Athletes from around the world competed in a variety of events as much of the SUP world, like me, watched via an online feed on their computers.  Countries from around the globe like Australia, USA, South Africa, Japan, Ireland, Brazil, Canada were all represented.

The event held significant interest for many in Sayulita since most of the team that made the trip from Mexico was made up of Sayulita locals.  World Class competitors and local legends "Tigre", "Pappas", "Fernando" along with local favorites like "Risa"and "Bicho", "Karen", "Vero" and others were there to represent Mexico and Sayulita.

The Team competed individually in their speciality posting great results along the way but at the end of the week the results were added up and the Team medals were given out.   Team Mexico finished the competition with a bronze medal placing them 3rd in the world this year.  Needless to say that the Team was pretty excited and solidified Mexico's place in the SUP/Paddleboard world.  The Team returned to Sayulita at the end of the competition to a hero's welcome.  A couple hundred friends, family and surf enthusiasts turned out in the Plaza to greet the Team as they arrived from the airport.  Pretty exciting stuff for small town Mexico.

It appeared to me that Team Mexico brought a lot of energy, class and enthusiasm to this event and other people seemed to take notice as well.  The ISA event organizers even featured them on site's morning show during the week.  It's one thing to be enthusiastic but to bring home hardware, put up results and spread contagious excitement to an event is another.  Well done Team Mexico! Can't wait until next year and we'll see many of you around town and in the water.

This Thing Called "Surfing"

One of my goals during this "Adventure" was to try and learn to surf. I had tried on a number of trips down here and a few on the Oregon coast without much success and never was all that good at it. It frustrated the hell out of me. My buddy John says that he is "addicted" to surfing. More specifically, addicted to SUP or Stand Up Paddle surfing. He is pretty damn good at it which motivated me to learn even more. Why couldn't I get the hang of this or even like it all that much? Having lived and skied all my life on "frozen water", my growing up and adult life certainly did NOT prepare me for this thing called "Surfing". Moving water? WTF? Waves, breaks, sets, close outs, rights, lefts...? Mumbo jumbo for sure. Well, we came to Mexico with our new shiny new oZoboards and for the first few months I got in the water once in a while. There were other things to do, work to be done and the ocean still didn't have my attention yet other than a place to let the kids burn up some energy.

When January came around, Ashley was back from working the holidays in the States. This was a good excuse to go out on the water together while the kids were at school and really try something new. She wanted to paddle for exercise and I wanted to surf to try and accomplish my pre-adventure goal. I got some advice and went out on the small waves. A big board, paddle and no brakes! Sayulita is great for learning since it has soft sand when things get shallow and a wave that grows progressively larger from one end of the bay to the main break where the "real" surfers go. I spent my time at what I called the "Kiddie Pool". Shallow, small waves and fewer people to run over. A place for real beginners like myself.

Day after day I paddled back and forth, going in and out, getting knocked down, getting beat up, going straight, learning to turn right and then left. I was a beginner again. I began to meet other beginners in the water and would see these people out each morning. Some of them were only here for a few days and others were like me, living down here for the winter season and learning something new. All we could do was to try hard, cheer each other on and laugh at ourselves. I slowly began to build some skills and that's when Ashley started to take notice. She saw how much fun I was having riding waves so she also started to spend time in the surf rather than out touring around on the flat water. We hardly spoke to each other while out trying to find the next wave but we would both be looking for the other like little kids after catching a good one. As if to say, "Hey, did you see me"?, "Did you see what I did"?. Fists pumping into the air applauding.

I always kept an eye on the main break to pickup visual cues from some of the fantastic local surfing talent but I knew where I belonged...in the "Kiddie Pool", practicing. Slowly I move farther and farther along the surf to finally I started to really look at the main break, especially when the conditions were not all that great and the local surfers may have decided to take a day off. Fortunately, by this time, I knew a lot of faces in the lineup. Welcome smiles and a shout of "Ozzy!!" from some friends in the water helped ease my anxiety.

Before coming down here, I read and heard less than great things about being in the Sayulita main break. Yelling, arguing, bullying, fighting are all things that I was ready to face. As I spent more and more time in the main break I saw these things happen. How have I fared in the main break thus far? I never have tried to necessarily be "liked" in the main break. Only wanting to be recognized as someone who is not passing through and has some skill. Hopefully, with that comes a small amount of respect. I try to play by the rules to be sure myself and others stay safe. I don't try to catch every wave I can and let good waves go by to other surfers since a SUP surfer has a small advantage at times. I always look for faster surfers coming down the line that have right away and get out of the way.. I almost always give a local the right to the wave if we are both paddling for it. Vision. You have to have vision. I've seen people who can surf but only see what's in front of them and don't see others around them who have the right to the wave. Then they wonder why they get yelled at. I don't think it is because of someone missing the wave so much as the increased probability of getting really creamed when someone who should be getting out of the way doesn't. Since Sayulita has a huge number of folks new to surfing they are very often in the lineup when they shouldn't be and that doesn't make people comfortable. I spent months working on my skills before I came even close to the main break and some show up after a few days on vacation. Not a good way to be welcome in any break. I stay clear of the main break on days where conditions are above my skill level. If the surf is too big...don't be there. If you can't turn both ways...don't be there. If you can't get out of the way... don't be there. Some may not agree with how I've decided to handle being out there but I know I am an outsider and new surfer and I believe this is a process developing skills on my SUP and acceptance to be out paddling with some of Mexico's best SUP and surf talent.

Mother Nature. What really is surfing when you get down to it? I feel it's a very temporary agreement between you and Mother Nature. You don't really control anything about surfing. Mother Nature only lets you tag along until your ride is over or until she changes the rules and sends you crashing into the ocean. Every single ride is different as tide, wind, currents change by the second. In skiing I could ski the same run over and over and it would be the virtually the same condition every time. Never the case with surfing. One is constantly adapting from one wave the next as the element around you continues to morph.

So, now what? Can I surf? Am I good at it? Hmmmm. I'll just say that I am always learning and have a long ways to go to feel really good out there but from the passer by it probably looks like I can surf. I've recently upgraded my "tabla" to a real surf model from Starboard SUP and am enjoying that now as I learn to adapt learned skills to new equipment. I try to stick my nose into more aggressive spots to catch waves where they should be caught and ridden vs catching things a bit outside and grabbing waves that come my way. Traveling to different surf breaks has been fun so I visit a number of breaks that are close by for a change of pace once in a while. Let me just say that finding surfing this past year has been a blast. See you out there.

International Surfing Day

Trace's Surprise

We have been wanting to get the family a soft top longboard for a while now and Costco, of all places, had just what we were looking for. The truth is we thought Alex would grab this thing and within a few short months be ready for the professional surf circuit. Well, Alex gave it a test drive after soccer practice one day but then quickly turned her attention to playing with a friend on the beach. Trace saw his opportunity and had me put the board in the water for him so he could easily push and turn the board into some "white water" coming onto the beach. He rode it like a boogie board at first, on his belly, but started standing up and gently rode a few waves. We were blown away and Ashley quickly grabbed the camera to take these shots.

The little guy basically told me to "back off" as he did just about everything for himself to get the 8 foot long surfboard ready to go. Needless to say, we were sooo impressed by Trace's effort and desire. Problem is we will have to find another surfboard for him to use now. Sharing will not be an option I'm afraid. After all, real surfers don't wait for their sister to finish using the "tabla" when gnarly sets are rolling in!

Local Surfers

I have been itching to get out and take pictures of surfers in big waves. I finally got my chance. You won't be seeing these in any Surfer magazine but I had a great time taking and editing them. I hope to get more and big names at the Sayulita Surf Contest next weekend. Thanks guys for showing your stuff!

Ashley

Surfing Is Beating the $%&@ Out of Us.

Learning to surf has been a blast but we have taken our licks these past couple months. Three smashed toes, a pectoral strain, a twisted ankle, tons of bruises, cuts, scrapes and Ashley getting stitches in her head after her paddle wacked her up side the melon.

Never fear, we will continue to try to learn to surf and earn our waves. After all, at the end of the day, everything feels better after a few shots of Don Julio.

Surfing Video

A big swell came into Sayulita over the weekend producing some of the largest waves we've seen so far. Watch the clips of Ozzy paddling out and over some of them to get an idea just how big. He is on his 9'6" long oZoboard for comparison. Ashley had her camera rolling to catch some really great local surfers, waves and Ozzy getting into the mix on some small, some big and some really really big waves.



We have tried to fix the pixel problem with no luck. We apologize for the technical difficulties but we think you can get the general idea.

My First "Wave"

So, I have taken a surf lesson before and it literally kicked my ass, so I ended that career until now... Ozzy and I brought down oZoboards, which are Stand Up Paddle boards that we have been using to cruise around the bay. They are great for long distance paddling and wonderful exercise for the abdomen and arms. Plus you are able to get away from everything and just be on the ocean where is it peaceful. I was okay with all of that until I noticed how much fun Ozzy was having paddle surfing on his oZoboard. He got quite good since I was in the US working. I am not a competitive person but when I see someone having fun in an addictive kind of way I want to see what it is all about. So, today was the day. I put my previous surfing experience behind me and headed out to surf. Ozzy was there to teach and cheer me on, the waves were just the right size and the surf location was pretty empty. It is much easier to paddle surf as opposed to regular surfing. You are not exerting nearly as much energy, and it is easier to get on waves. So with Ozzy's help and instruction I caught three waves. And it was AWESOME. So much fun. The wave gets a hold of you and the next thing you know you are one with the ocean and it is gently pushing you along and it is like you are flying on top of the water. And then you eat total shit. But now you are addicted and you want more.

So, our new routine (I know I said there are no routines here but we are starting one) is to drop the kids at school, head to the beach to paddle and paddle surf for 2-3 hours, pick the kids up from school and it is up in the air from there. I have learned that people work here when it is convenient and doesn't interfere with extracurricular activities. But they do get their work done. They are just happier workers.

And it is good quality time with my husband doing something that we love together.

Since I wrote this I have caught two more waves. Yesterday we went out and the surf was way too big for me. Today it was perfect. I also think that my green Jolyn bathing suit is my good luck suit. Just don't catch waves when I am in black. But I will soon.

Sayulita Surf Club

Alex braved the chilly water this week, with her friend Maggie, to attend the Sayulita Surf Club. This club is for local kids to attend to develop, among other things, a passion for surfing and learn positive values, respect, teamwork, an awareness for the ocean environment and friendship. Great fun for all the kids and parents. We can't wait for the next session. "Muchas gracias" to the instructors who volunteered their time and equipment to put this on.

SUP=Stand Up Paddleboard

One of the things at the top of our list is to become proficient surfers. I consider myself a decent athlete but the ability to longboard has absolutely eluded me. I am flat out terrible. So, Ashley and I will be investing in our first Stand Up Paddleboards. Stand up paddling or "SUP'ing" has ancient roots but has taken off globally. With modern materials and design, SUP'ing lets even the novice get out on the water and enjoy touring the coastline, meandering down a river or stream, paddling around a reservoir, canal or even pond. The boards are generally big and stable.

We both tried SUP'ing for the first time in March of 2011 and we both enjoyed it. I even caught a few waves for the first time ever. Ashley likes SUP'ing for the workout and just to get a different perspective of the coast and I like it for the same reasons as well as being able to keep up a little better with my skilled surfing friends.