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That's me pulling into my first day in Mexico at an un-named black sand beach on Mexico's Mainland Pacific Coastline.
Surfing Mainland Mexico 2009
The Black Sand Beach My Dad Always Warned Me About...
As a kid, my dad always liked to tell me about his Mexico surfing stories, the great waves he and his buddies caught, the adventures they got themselves into, and the places they went. One place in particular that he really talked about (which I can not give you the name of or I would have to hunt you down and kill you), he made out to be this grand wave of death. He would tell me how this rumbling, black sand beach would produce waves five times the size of full grown men, and pitch deep, tunneling, black barrels that could swallow semi trucks whole and break boards and sometimes necks as if they were merely toothpicks. My dad loves to tell stories from his glory days and I have come to learn he can often get a little carried away with excitement, and that this wave was most likely not as bad as he made it out to be, but in the back of my mind I still had a fear of this powerful wave. I have always known though that one day I would stand up to the roaring waves on that black sand beach and live to tell stories of my own.
Before leaving for Mexico this summer I already knew that it was going to be the year that I would surf the wave my dad had told me so much about as a kid.
Before leaving for Mexico this summer I already knew that it was going to be the year that I would surf the wave my dad had told me so much about as a kid. Sure I had paddled out at the place before and seen its magnificent power, but this year was going to be different, I really needed to learn to surf it and step my surfing up a notch as far as powerful wave riding goes.
The morning finally came when we were to leave for Mexico. One of my friends that I know from competing, Pete Polanski, arrived at our house at six in the morning as he was going to be joining the trip along with my dad and I. (Just incase you didn't know, my dad and I have done this trip for five years now and we always try to bring one or more other people along to enjoy the Mexican olas (waves). Pete was probably the best and easiest going companion we have invited so far and he surfs amazing and was able to help push me in my surfing. He will most likely be coming along for several more trips to Mexico.) The day never seemed to want to end, but after taking care of luggage, ridding on two planes, renting a car, and finding our way through messed up Mexican road ways, we finally found ourselves at a little hotel run by a really cool guy named Paco and his beautiful daughters, LiLi & LuLu. We arrived very late at night and could not see the waves but were able to hear them and could hardly wait for morning to come.
The Morning Sun Rose and So Did The Surf
Eventually morning did come right on time as usual, and we woke up looking out at a black sand beach and 6 - 8ft glassy barreling waves. Paco explained to us that it was unusually small and manageable and that it was the best place to be as of right now because of a road block up the road that was keeping people from going to any other surf spots. We were not all that worried because at that time the waves were just fine for us, especially after coming from two months of near flatness in Florida. I knew that this Mexico "flat" spell would be the perfect thing for me to warm up on and get me used to the wave that I had always feared. I won't lie but I was quite sketched out about the wave and kept telling myself that it was just mind over matter.
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