Christmas in Sayulita arrived early, when a fine swell hit on Christmas Eve and every surfer in town hit the water to get the best waves we’ve had in a while. The swell worked all that day and into Christmas Day as well. Burros and La Lancha, over on the Punta Mita side, were both head-high plus, offshore wind, with the usual crowds but not to the point of overload. In town, the shifting sands on the bottom on both sides of the river mouth has changed the waves somewhat, so that now there are lefts to be had on the south side of the river—an unusual set up at this traditional right break—and if you moved past the left on the north side, there were some right-breaking barrels as well.
All in all, the surfers both local and visiting were happy to have some waves, since this has been a relatively slow season for surf. Usually the winter brings plenty of north and northwest swells, so all of us surfers are hoping this winter comes through too, and the surf gods favor us. Sayulita without surf is like Sayulita without sunshine. All those long surfer faces hanging around downtown make it feel like all is not quite right with the world—there’s only so much beach volleyball one can play, after all—and everybody lights up when the swell hits. Keep ‘em coming, cowabunga.
