New Years Eve Baja Style

While most people on the West coast were partying like there was no tomorrow Tres(three) Amigos(friends) were prepping for a week long adventure in Baja. After I finished by bar shift at 10pm on NYE I did my rounds at the local grocery stores picking up some last minute items for the trip. Once I had everything set to go for our 4:00 am departure I laid down for a short nap.

With our car stuffed to the gills with surf equipment and camping gear we began our journey south. We crossed the newly refurbished Tijuana border at approx 5am and made quick work of what can be a dragging section of the drive through Ensenada. Turns out not too many Mexicans are out and about early on New Years day, so we flew through all the areas that generally slow you down due to local traffic.

After 12 hours of driving we arrived at what was to be our new home for the following week. Greeted with head high waves and howling offshores we quickly put on our wetsuits to get a surf in for the last hour of sunlight.

The strong offshores continued for the first two days. So strong that take offs were generally "blind" due to the intense spray of water in your face while paddling into waves. The offshores made their typical afternoon appearance throughout the trip, but more manageable than the first two days.

One afternoon I stayed out by myself, well into the dark. I had perfect waves all to myself. It was an unreal moment to be so far from everything else in twilight light paradise just me, my board and a perfect right point. Although I didnt think about it at the time, the night session was great practice for the blind, offshore take offs.

During our stay the low tides (which were best for this spot) were in the early am and late afternoon. When the tide filled in mid day, logging sessions were the hot ticket. On one occasion I dove deep into our quiver (two logs, a single fin 6' 8", a 5' 10" fish, 5'8"swallow tail short board, a 4' 10" twin fin made by Chris, a handplane and a surf mat)  and gave Chris's surf mat a go. I got a wave all the way from the point into the beach. It was a fun challenge riding that thing, but I must say if im gonna lay down I'd rather ride a bodyboard than a mat. 

 The wave was simply amazing. 200 yards long, you could easily do a dozen or more turns on a wave. If you fell, no need to worry. The crowd was so thin you could usually just pick up where you left off on the very next wave. On low tide you could accelerate the process of getting back to the takeoff area by running back to the point along the beach. Most everyone opted for this, unless they were riding a longboard, best save your arms for days upon days of surfing seemingly never ending waves.

During one session when it was possible to take off behind the rock I managed to get myself washed over the rocks, not making a critical section. I ended up slamming my tailbone into a boulder. I floated laying still for a moment hoping I hadn't severely injured myself. Thankfully I was fine, just some bruising which I can still feel while writing this now.

The rock on the far right was not my tailbones' friend.

 Food has never tasted better! There's nothing quite like eating hot food next to a bonfire after a full day of surfing.  We had a fire every night, with the exception of our first night. The fires were made possible by short drive north during high tide where we would collect dead Yucca and Agave plants. 

Full and warmed by the fire we made our way to bed early each night. I slept through most nights, except one.  We forgot to put our trash in the car and without fail a Coyote showed up and proceeded  to drag our trash all about camp forcing us to get up and scare him off. Another night just before bed, while tidying up camp we discovered a snake in my board bag. I remembered watching Endless Summer II as a kid, seeing Wingnut do back flips when he discovered the iguana in his bag; I couldnt help but chuckle to my self. It was a small and probably harmless snake, so we just carried him away from camp on a shovel.

Even the view from the outhouse was great!

 Waking each morning with the sun was never difficult knowing that there were perfect waves peeling off a stones throw away.

We surfed all day, every day. We stopped only to eat and gather fire wood. Spending so much time in the water, we inevitably made some new friends throughout the trip. Steve Gade from Los Osos, Gary from Oregon, Mike w/ the bad hip, a guy from Colorado whose name escapes me. Several other small groups from Santa Cruz were also in the mix. Most of the older guys in camp had been making an annual pilgrimage to this spot for decades, so I imagine we'll see them again next time.

  Travel partners hanging out

 good trip boys!

We scored. Perfect waves for a week straight was truly amazing. Its rare to get good waves for  a week straight, and even harder to find those waves with cool people to share them with. I realize it might not always be so perfect, but you can bet i'll be going back sometime soon.

THE END