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Thanks. Made me wish I had a steadier hand and/or much nicer lens. Probably one of the harder things I've tried to shoot. After I got those shots off, I just decided to sit and enjoy until we sped off toward the islands.Quote:
Originally Posted by ACheateaux
Nice I'm doing the camp the 24th-28th in San Pancho and will be in Sayulita the 29th-1st at an airbnb house. Got a bro's wedding on the 31st.Quote:
Originally Posted by ACheateaux
Just got back from 9 days in the Punta Mita to San Pancho corridor. I had an amazing time! I did 5 nights with four days of surfing at Surf House San Pancho and can't recommend them enough. Their show is pretty much a maggot paradise. The house is nothing fancy, but it is super cool and the views are incredible. Turned out I was the only person there at the time, so I got a 2:1 instructor ratio. It's a husband and wife team (Luis and Bianca). Luis does most of the surf instruction and Bianca does the cooking. Both of them are super cool and awesome at what they do.
Luckily, Hurricane Amanda was churning about 700 miles off the coast and sent some swell over while I was there. We did 3 days at La Lancha which was super easy to surf and had a mellow vibe. The first day I was there it was about 3-4 feet with about 20 people in the water. The second day was slightly bigger with a similar crowd. There were a good number of beginners the first day, but most of them didn't get in the way really. However, there was one gringo d-bag who rolled up in a skiff on a private lesson where his instructor proceeded to push him into waves right in the middle of the main lineup on his 12' longboard. I'm by no means a great surfer, but if you can't paddle for your own waves, stay the fuck out of the main lineup. Okay?
The third day, the scene was completely different as it was when Amanda's swell arrived. Most waves were in the head-high range with a few sets slightly overhead. I was by far the crappiest (and palest) surfer in the water that day. There were probably only 10 guys in the water that day and it was a damn good one! Here is one of me that Bianaca took that day.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...6df31a6a0cc55b
My last day I went to Stinky's with my buddy and his fiance' that he was marrying the next day where I got them a lesson for their wedding present. Stinky's is close to Anclote and is a total beginner break, but it was still a lot of fun. The sets were in the 3' range.
After the camp was over, I did 3 nights in Sayulita which was super duper fun. That place knows how to party and we got some epic places for really good low season deals. That being said, it was hot as fuck. A pool is a really really good idea. My friends got this near top-tier spot where I spent a good bit of time for about 60USD a person/nite.
https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...10778013_o.jpg
As said earlier Tacos el Ivan has the best Al Pastor in town. They defy gravity with the pineapple there. The 5KM Surf Bar Cochinas tacos near PM were also incredible.
All in all, it was a really sweet experience. It's not Cloudbreak, but it's not half way around the world, and I'll probably never surf there anyway. I will post more when I have some time.
Nice. If La Lancha was head high I imagine the breaks out by the point were solid. Must be nice being there when the waves are cranking.
Is that the high bungalow at Villa Amor? Epic spot.
Not Villa Amor... Private house on the N side of town via Google Photosphere.
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Congrats on scoring, have you surfed Pacific City? Shit is fun when it's big.Quote:
Originally Posted by stalefish3169
Bump this thread as the wife and I just got back from a week. Criteria. Fly somewhere close with surf in board shorts, which leaves Mexico or Hawaii. We choose mainland Mex as we have done Baja and Hawaii multiple times. In hind sight should have done Hawaii, but still had a blast.
We stayed in San Pancho because I liked that it was a small traditional Mexican beach town and up north. I.e. we could still check out spots up north. I vastly underestimated the time it took to get to north spots. Was hoping to check out San Blas area but too far out of the way.
Essentially knee to waist high the entire time. So we rented logs from Coral Reef in Bucerias (he has a good selection of boards where as the shops in San Pancho didn't have much) and had a blast nose riding and messing around all week. Guac and margs at sunset. Beauty little trip. Would have loved some overhead and shortboardable surf. In that respect should have gone to Hawaii.
La Lancha - Longboard wave. The left is actually much better than the right. Faster, steeper, just kick out before the cliffs and rocks. Great spot to learn to surf if you are brand new to the sport. Very mellow takeoff. New rule here since this thread. They limit the spot to 30 people from the road per day now. So you pretty much have to get there at 7-8am when the security guard shows up at 7. Was talking to one local guy and he says when it gets big. Double overhead range the La Lancha right totally closes out but the left gets insane and super fun and very, very long. He pointed a long ass way away as to the beach you kick out at. That would be a dream.
Burros - If it is knee to waist high make sure you go around low to mid tide. High tide doesn't work when it is small. Still fun and one afternoon was chest high which was very refreshing and just made me want better swell badly. Fun right. Fun wave.
San Pancho - Shitty beach break fed by a classic latin american river that is essentially everyone's septic system. Beautiful beach, just the water quality is clearly not good or healthy. Perhaps gets good on the right swells but I imagine it is just typical beach break most of the time.
Playa Tortugas - In the middle of nowhere. Was bigger than everywhere else when we looked but messy and blown out. I imagine on a north this would turn into a pretty unreal point. Funny driving along a rutted and puddle filled dirt road for half an hour into nowhere land and pull up to a manicured and fancy ass little gated community.
Chacala - Drive to this town and get the fisherman to take you to the wave. It was knee high when we were there and essentially too small to surf but the obvious perfection of this left hand point was crazy. If there is swell make sure you pay the money for a local boat. Bummed I didn't get this wave good. Cleanest most pristine surf spot I've ever seen in Latin America as well. Been to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Baja, and this now trip. Crystal clear hawaii style waters. Just a beautiful spot. Apparently it gets quite crowded when its on but would be worth it.
Fun little trip overall. Don't know if I'll go back but there are only so many short haul airports from Vancouver for board short surfing. So perhaps. Definitely wouldn't be a planned in advance trip though. I'd wait for swell then hit it. Swell on tap for this weekend up north. Back into the 6/5/4.
the left at la lancha, eh. when I was there, it was fairly short, but very bowly. much more so than the right. i imagine it could be a fun place to go during the summer souths, but otherwise it seems like it needs a massive npac swell to really get things going.
nice to be home closer to the source?
^Thanks Ott for some beta. Definitely helped.
Nice to be home. Stoked for some of this weekend's 10@15 that hopefully comes through. Going to go scare myself at some new to me waves on the island. They should be quite exciting.
How was that siberian mega storm in SC?
meh. It was fine, but certainly did not live up to the hype. We had a few hours of big surf in October, but otherwise, it has been mostly in the fun range. While I love the fun range, I also like getting a little pinched now and again. And I am picking up a new 6.6 designed for the 8-15' range, so my quiver hole is well filled. Bring on the juice.
Peeps,
Going to Sayulita zone end of may for 5 nights. Going with my lady who surfs and looking for some good insight. Where's the best place to stay this time of the year? Looking like the swell will need some West to be good? What spots are good on south swells? Stay in Sayulita and travel to Punta Mita to surf? We're both good surfers but have never been to this zone. Any tips would be appreciated! Also, where to get the greens?:D
The best place to stay IMO in Sayulita is the Villa Amor. It's on the southern most point just away from the town center but has the best views and it's own private beach area. Most units are individually owned, and I'm not sure completely how the renting goes, most likely on their site. For decent waves you will want to get a boat out of Punta Mita to some of the more exposed spots. The way the Sayulita bay is shaped it gets blocked and little to no swell gets in there. However paddle boarding is fun as the water is clear and usually stays calm as it's blocked from the wind. Honestly if your a decent surfer, the waves don't offer up much anywhere in that region. I know you can go north a couple hours and there's much more exposed areas that catch south swells. It's a great place to go for a Mexico beach trip, but not a surf destination.Quote:
Originally Posted by GOLDSB
I dunno about the waves not offering much if you are a good surfer. Depends on what you are looking for. Certainly not world class, but I was in Punta Mita in the winter, when the souths swells were very small and weak. Still had fun on them on a long board.
Goldsb, read through the thread for surf info on Punta Mita. It all faces south, and I'd assume that if there is a decent south running (greater than 2@16) you would be able to score head high waves. No need for the boat taxi unless you (1) have money to spare (2) only want to surf 1.5 hours and (3) don't like to walk on cobblestone. The Point looked like it would be a very fun wave with the right kind of swell. The day I surfed the Cove (at the top of the point), it would have been fun to have a short board with me. Can't recall the name of the break I hit most days (it is in this thread), but again, with some solid swell I'd expect it would be a fairly fun right point break, with a shorter, bowly, juicey little left. And there were other short reef break waves in that zone. I've also seen video of Burros looking pretty fun as well. Again, not world class type of things, but plenty of fun to rip around on.
At the very least, if you are going to be in Sayulita, I'd take the 50 minute drive south and explore well before going on a wild chase several hours north. And the food right in town PM is quite good. If it were me, I'd likely stay in PM and then travel up to Sayulita for a day trip if the swell is no on. I'd also walk to the breaks at the top, and bring along a snack and small soft cooler with drinks. Spend the day surfing, come home, shower, eat some good food on the beach, and repeat. No real night life though if that is important to you. Sayulita has a lot more day and night life. Not sure I'd want to drive that road much after dark. And in Mex, I avoid any green searching. Too sketchy, IMO.
Make your trip worth it.Mex is so 1988....head to pavones cr...world class wave and the weed is green.
I tore an MCL in dec so I needed to get out of town, i figured the skiing would suck in mexico so I went to sayulita in january, directflights into PV with an easy 35peso bus ride to sayulita, I booked a place on airbnb where the living was cheap (and green) as for night life close the rodeo bar then move to the bar don pato (also green) there is a large party every friday night at a bar on the beach, food is pretty cheap in sayulita so go upscale and bring imodium or some generic loperamine salts ... expect the shits
duno about surfing cuz I was trying to heal not get fucked up but I was told look out for sewage in the bay ...don't open your mouth
long walks north were good PT for the MCL and got me onto completely deserted beachs pretty quick
Ran into 3 buds from home ... sayulita is fun, chill and cheap
just got back from a week in PV. The wifey had some friends with a timeshare at one of the mega resorts in Nuevo Vallarta. I do not recommend staying there or anywhere around there. It was plenty nice but the food/drinks were US+ prices and had no character. Made it out of there a few days to surf sayulita, punta de mita and also a day of diving.
I saw it mentioned above but the place across from the airport is Taco'n de Marlin. Had an amazing shrimp burrito there right before heading back to SLC. That plus some free tequilla shots at the duty free store had me snoozing the whole way home.
Pretty sure I had the best tacos of my life at Panchos Takos in old town Vallarta. If you're in that area do yourself a favor and get a couple of al pastor tacos.
If you're looking for boards in Punta de Mita ask for a dude named Oso Negro. He runs a surf school there and rents pretty nice boards, super friendly laid back dude. We didn't check out his short board selection but his long boards were much nicer than the normal foam top boards you rent in that area. Prices were cheap too.
Nice bump and recommendations dfinn. Headed down that way in a few weeks for a few weeks. Looking forward to trying to get some days in Sayulita, hopefully on a board. Will be staying in PV for most of it though.
Seconding oso negro. Good guy. Took the wife and I around. Friendly and introduced us to friends for deals on food/board rentals.
Really enjoyed Punta mita. Nice blend of authentic fishing village and high end resort amenities at the other end of town.
Some really nice apartments at the opposite end of the beach from the 4 seasons. Definitely returning.
Bump because I am looking into a summer trip in this area. I am considering the Costa Azul Adventure resort. It would be nice to have a surf guide to make getting to the breaks easy, and I know this place organizes surf trips. I am looking for left points, as I have never surfed one before, with the possible exception of Cotton's. I don't need super heavy just fun, like a reverse Malibu. I want a place that gets consistent summer swell, so I can count on a likelihood of at least chest high. I really want to surf Chicala and Santa Cruz, which are within striking distance. I found a blog from a guy who went on a trip there and he got both of those breaks really fun, as well as fun waves in front of the resort at San Pancho. Those spots are a drive but very doable with a guide. I also need a place where my wife can get surfing lessons, and I would really like to get something all inclusive. The accommodations don't need to be 5 star, but I don't want a surf camp either.
How about Puerto Vallarta? Are there some good waves in town there? It would not be my first choice, and it is certainly not authentic but I need to at least look into it. I don't want to stay in Syulita as I would have to get a surf guide everyday due to the waves there. I am also worried about the guides at Costa Azul resort. I think the trips are group and I don't want to get stuck with a bunch of regular foots who don't want to hit Chicala and Santa Cruz, as I really want to hit some left points. If that were the case I might even pony up the cash to get a personal guide to take me to Chicala or Santa Cruz as I at least want to hit them once. Does anyone know how consistent they are on south/sw swells? I don't want to go if they take a monster to wake up, I want to count on the likelihood of at least shoulder high surf. I know someone in this thread found Chicala flat, but that was in the winter, in the summer it is supposed to be better. San Pancho is supposed to be pretty consistent if nowhere else.
It is between here and the Trocones/La Saladita area. I would be open to other suggestions. I really want a playful down the line proper left point and warm water. I have done Jaco in CR, and we got good beachbreak but did not get Boca Barranca which is epic but never breaks. I am looking for lefts that are more consistent than that.
Anyway, thanks for all the good info in this thread. I am trying to get as much information as possible about both Trocones and Costa Azul Resort as possible.
I was in Trocones years ago. There is a nice, thick left point that wraps into a bay just north of there. It does require a lot of swell. Otherwise, a lot of craggy beach break around T.
I don't know the lefts north of Sayulita, but PM was picking up the south swell that was running when I was there in Feb, so it seems to really pick up the swell there (but it is south facing, so).
PV is pretty meh place to stay for long. There is old town, but lots of mega all inclusive resorts.
Could get lessons in PM, and there are gentle waves there. Even in summer.
Did you get Roca Loca while in Jaco? Love that zone.
Thanks for the info.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ottime
We actually did not get Roca Loca, we only surfed Playa Hermosa, Esterillos and Jaco beach. We got Hermosa a couple of feet overhead and punchy. It is a pretty heavy beachbreak at that size, I actually broke a board. It was still fun though. I really liked Esterillos, it was softer and longer but still fun. We got it a bit overhead, it was not too heavy and lined up through the inside after a couple of cutbacks. The size at Esterillos convinced us to go to Boca Barranca, against our guide's advice. It was knee high. If you look at a map Barranca is tucked way up there, so it is not surprising that it needs something massive to break. I have always dreamed about it, a 500 yard hot dog left, but you have to be lucky to get it. We saw the Roca Loca zone on our way south, but it was not working. Jaco beach was fun, about shoulder high but a-frame peaks with tapered walls up and down the beach.
The thing I love about Costa Rica is that it is so consistent in the summer. Our guide told us that Hermosa breaks almost everyday. If you don't get it at least head high you have really bad luck.
We're also looking at this zone (or maybe CR) for a trip this Thanksgiving. Obviously not prime season, but the easiest time to get away for 9ish days with our schedules.
Looking for the same thing - left points, warm water, fun size, learning zone for the GF.
Saladita will provide these things. It is a super mellow wave, a bit of a disappointment honestly, but for teaching the GF it would be lovely.Quote:
Originally Posted by jtran10
It is sounding like Punta Mita is better than la saladita. The points north of Punta Mita sound like the type of fun lefts I am looking for.
Heading to PV Thurs with a bud who won a resort trip through work. Any PV recommendations not related to surfing? Prob not enough time and I'm a total surfing jong anyway.
^^^^sorry, I know nothing other than drinking in PV.
did you find lefts north of PM? How were they?Quote:
Originally Posted by Long duc dong
Unfortunately I did not get to go this summer. It is the wife's 40th birthday so we are going on a cruise in the Mediterranean. I wanted to try and swing both but sadly it simply could not happen. I am definitely going to go next summer, have not decided where yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ottime
bump for a spontaneous trip to Sayulita leaving in a couple weeks. It's been an epic ski season and we need some sun and warm water to prep for the spring skiing in the Cascades and Sierra!
We're about to commit to a house rental on the north side of town based on recommendations, . I know the waves are inconsistent in Sayulita, but where do they break? Would it be better/closer to stay on the south side? We'll also plan to day trip to Punta Mita and the other spots mentioned in this thread, thanks for all the info.
I'm not bringing boards, between the outrageous baggage fee and the last 2 times I flew, my boards were pretty damaged. Where to rent??
Any experience in late March? Will the souths start to show up? Water temp??; shorty, 1mm top, board shorts??
Looks like a pretty well visited spot, but any other advice for first visit to the area? We've spent months at a time in Baja, but this is first trip to mainland. So stoked!
We stayed on the north side a few years ago. The north side is (was) commonly referred to as "gringo hill". The main break in Sayulita is on the south side of town...10 minute walk from where we stayed.
If you're worried about inconsistent waves book lessons or talk to Wildmex about surfing. Good folks with a shop in Sayulita and one near La Lancha, and they'll drive you to where the waves are breaking. They can be a little pricey comparatively speaking, but they're worth it IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee Murian
http://wildmex.com/location/
Enjoy some Tacos El Ivan while you're there!
Boards are cheap to rent down there. Hourly, daily, weekly. I think it was $100 for a week from a shop I checked online where the road peels off toward Punta Mita when you are coming north.
Sayulita is small. Can't imagine anything is a long walk.
Just from experience in SC, good southern can arrive in March. Not common, but they happen. I road mostly super micro souths in Feb, but got was up to chest high or more.
If you do get a good south, I would check the points.
Thanks all, getting pretty stoked. Couple quick ?'s
I'm not planning on renting a car. What's the best way to reach the other breaks; Wildmex, local boat driver??
I didn't realize that Sayulita catches norths as well, looks like you just hit it flat Ott, but the waves look more consistent than I thought,or is that normal?? Sweet blog bro, I just reread it. This is family trip too and the waves look pretty perfect for wife and daughter. We definitely want to do the snorkeling boat tour to the islands, my girl would love this.
Any comments on the Sayulita septic issues? I'm no stranger to MX and central america travel, is it any worse than anywhere else??
Not sure about getting around w/o car. We rented a sedan and I brought a soft rack.
Boats out of Punta Mita were not too expensive if you had a group. Not sure about out of Sayulita.
When we were down there (Feb) there was not much N swell at all. It was during a week were swell was not getting into SoCal, so pretty much relied on the small souths. Which actually hit a lot bigger than I expected.
Snorkeling on the island was awesome. My son loved it. He was two and half at the time, so generally not so difficult. It made me a bit nervous and I brought him in/out of the cave on my chest.
My father in law got a bit tossed in the cave and hit sea sick on the way back to the boat. He is not really an ocean person. Turns out beautiful tropical fish love human vomit. My son was very pleased.
just booked a february trip and stoked to see everything in this thread. does anyone have any recent updates to restaurants / board rentals / etc?
Bumping. Read thru the entire thread (very bored at work). I'm going to be in Sayulita for spring break in march. What size board would you guys recommend (I'll be renting)? I consider myself a upper level beginner, maybe intermediate? I'm a big skier/mtb guy but visited Bucerias two years ago and was able to surf La lancha in march, I think I was on a 9' board one day and 8' another day? I was able to pop up and ride the wave back in essentially. Thanks in advance everyone
just got in and this place is not unattractive Attachment 269944
i think it’s gonna depend on the waves man. we had some big days but mostly small ones. car rental is 6ish a day. beaches about 5km to the south have bigger surf. water is almost 80 degrees now and getting warmer, it was sweet.Quote:
Originally Posted by J_Berg
the torta shop just north of the bridge is excellent.
bring 300 pesos for one of those cool oaxaca blankets and don’t pay more.
at the carnaval in town you get three throws at bottles for 40 pesos. if you have a good arm you can win a sixer, find the stall with the bottles close together and let it rip.
It depends on what is available, but you know it will be easier on the long board, so just go 9 ft.Quote:
Originally Posted by J_Berg
Was just down in sayulita in early March. Not much swell...but a great family trip. Didn’t really get sick (was pretty careful and only ate at nice spots) and stayed in a nice place. Heard other people talking about it though “half the people that came for the wedding got sick [emoji855]” but that’s avoidable.
Wow la lancha has changed...was a zoo.
They’re almost finished w the water treatment effluent pipe. Sending it 2km offshore. Hopefully that will help some, but hasn’t really addressed the leaks from houses before the treatment plan. Progress nonetheless!
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