Peeling Lefts, Blistered Lips and Stolen Vehicles
APRIL 2024 | The call to travel is a loud one, so when this call whipped through our minds we couldn’t ignore the noise. The Big Carl team packed up and headed South, to mainland mex, in search of warm water and long peeling lefts.
Trip Overview
Travelers + Surfers: Sarah Simut, Shane Johnson, Paige Atwell, and Big Carl
Location: Zihautenejo area; La Saladita and mysto beach breaks
Why: Escape the June gloom of Socal and test out some cruisy models in long peeling point breaks, in good company.
Board Models: Street Dog, Big Fish, Flying Fish, Twisted Turbo, Double Dutch Bus
Getting There
A 2AM wakeup call started off the trip. We loaded up two cars with our board bags and carry-ons to make the hour and a half drive down to the CBX in Tijuana. We are frequent CBX travelers, so we have the system dialed– or so we thought. The guys dropped off the girls and boardbags at the entrance and then parked the cars on a nearby side street and made the walk back to the entrance. It’s always a bit of a gamble leaving your car parked for a week straight down by the border… read till the end to find out what happens while we’re away.
CBX and the TJ airport were easy that morning. We checked two long board bags and one 7’6 coffin bag with no problem– that’s half the battle! Our flight was on-time and other than a bumpy landing, we found ourselves in the hot humid Zihautenejo/Ixtapa airport before noon. We rented a mid-size SUV from Johnny Cash Rentals- highly recommend.
From the airport, it was only a 45 minute drive to our final destination, so we killed some time in Zihautenejo proper to grub, search for the river crocodiles and, of course, stop at the first Modelorama we could find. We opted to cook almost every meal this trip, so we made a grocery stop at the big Soriana store in town before heading into the small town we were staying in. This is a good option if you’re looking to save money on food.
Destination: Playa La Saladita
The first stop was our Air Bnb. We rented a spot at Casa Macu. This property is beautifully crafted and the location is unbeatable. The house is steps from the point and much more tranquil than staying directly on the beach. First thing we did was unpack the boards and got them waxed up to make the late-afternoon session out front.
April is prime time for swells in this area, and we just so happened to score head high plus waves for the entire trip. We spent the next 7 days surfing at least three times a day, cooking meals together and exploring the area. Some sunburnt siestas & fiestas took place, too.
Boards
Big Fish was epic for gliding and connecting sections from the top of the point all the way to the beach. Carried speed through carves like a big butter knife. Also great for trimming thru bumps and weirdness on the bigger days where logs with a wider nose would experience chatter.
Flying Fish was excellent for ripping bowly sections at the top of the point. Flat rocker allowed it to chip in deep and zip through sections. Light onshore wind made nice crackable lips all the way through. Great for connecting the dots through the flats while staying nimble in the pocket. Some serious leg burners linking 6-10 turns on the good waves.
Twisted Turbo is a new design we were testing out. We shrunk the turbo twin to 6’0; ditched the channels and added a wing behind the fins. Worked great on steeper sections of the point and nearby beachbreak. It held solid through carves and was still able to pivot nicely with the wing. The beak nose and extra foam up front made it great for long paddles up the point.
Street Dog was the board of choice for this wave. The rounded tail was great for linking turns and keeping speed through the steeper sections. Held in the pocket with plenty of lift for long noserides down the point.
Overall, this was an epic trip with great friends and waves. We were properly sunburnt from the countless hours spent on the water, hence, the blistered lips. On the days that the point was getting crowded, we’d explore new spots, always taking the scenic route weaving through towns. We bought locally caught tuna to make poke and sashimi, along with many other delicious grinds. On our last night we ate at restaurant Ilianet. The food and service was great here. It’s owned by the family of one of the local rippers and just down the beach, away from the touristy bars.
It was bittersweet having to pack up and head back California. Reality really slapped us in the face when we arrived back to our cars to find one of them unlocked and rustled through. Wires had been cut and the car was completely dead. After hours waiting for a tow truck, we tried our luck with a battery guy and luckily, a jump did the trick. Lesson learned? Feeling grateful that a broken into car was the only snaffu of the entire trip. Gracias, Playa La Saladita!
