A gift from the saints of the sea arrived right on schedule this past weekend along with the beginning of the two-week long Semana Santa holidays, as a powerful south/southwest swell came pouring around Punta Sayulita and filled up the bay with swells and waves, making all the surfers happy. Though the wind came up mid-day and messed around with the waves’ shapes, the morning sessions were smooth, glassy, and lots of fun, with head high sets bombing in at both the right point in town and the left break on the north beach. As you can see in the photos, the lefts on the north side beach were lining up clean and pristine in the morning, before the wind began to blow. Both locals and visitors alike took advantage, and grabbed some great rides.
This same swell has hit over on the Punta Mita side with much more force, creating near-epic surfing conditions at Punta Burros and excellent conditions at La Lancha and El Anclote as well. If you’re headed down here on a surf trip, you might consider packing your surf wagon and heading over to the Punta Mita side on a mini-safari, since the waves over there are usually bigger and less crowded. If you don’t know the way or don’t have wheels, ask around town, somebody will take you for a price, or tell you how to get there. If you go, respect the other surfers. We always recommend not traveling in too large a pack: there is nothing more annoying to other surfers in the water than the arrival of six or eight more wave riders all at once.
Beginners, take note: don’t kid yourselves, big waves can be dangerous if you don’t know how to surf. If you are taking lessons and/or just learning how to ride waves, be careful, stay away from the main break at the town beach—the beginner zone is farther south, by Don Pedro’s restaurant–and stay out of the water or take extra care if the waves are more than head-high, wherever you are surfing (El Anclote is the safest learner’s spot around here, along with the south side of our town beach). Note the lifeguard towers and riptide warning signs posted along the beach as well. They are there for a reason: though it is called the Pacific Ocean, the sea is not always peaceful, and should never be taken lightly.
