Jan 24 - Big Waves

Yesterday, the waves got pretty big. They would come in sets of 4 or five large waves before settling back to normal size. The wave swell up as the bottom starts to get shallow, and the wave will grow up to 8 feet high. That is when the surfer dudes get excited and many of them get out to join in the fun to catch a big one. Even the boogie boarders join in.

 Surfer dude catches a nice wave.

As a novice, I watch intently from the shore and then decide to join in. Surprisingly the waves are not that difficult to manage once you get past where they crash near the beach. Way off shore, I realize that all the surf er dudes around me are less than 1/3 my age. Can you image what they think of this gringo? Too bad that I don't know enough Spanish to converse with then and learn a few things.

A wave crashes into the rocks.

When a big wave comes at you and starts to curl over, you have to duck under it. Otherwise, you are going to get tumbled around in the wave.The trick is to catch the "right" wave, before it breaks. You need to get up some speed and slide down the slope of the wave. Sounds easy? It was harder than I expected, even wearing special boogie board fins. After failing to catch a nice size wave a few times, I am able to get up enough speed on a wave with enough slope. The result is a wild ride, nice and long, right in close to shore. What a thrill!

Check the height of this wave!

Rick, I am enjoying it immensely. The surf is not as good as Sayulita, but still a lot of fun.

 A dude on a boogie board, just like me.

Today the waves are even bigger and none of us gringos are in the water. There are still a few of the good surfers out there though.  The trough to crest height is easily 12 feet, probably more at times. There is a mild wind blowing that is adding to the wave action and the period between waves is often erratic. Close to shore, the water is constantly white with froth, even 100 feet out from shore. The sea is angry and best to be avoided.