If you like surfing in Hawaii, then you will love Puerto Escondido in Mexico

Mention surfing and Hawaii instantly comes to mind. Dubbed the surf superior of the world, Hawaii is simply a sanction that echoes with the powerfulness of legendary breaks and surfing lore. The North Shore’s iconic, thunderous waves person agelong been the eventual prize for surfers. But is it imaginable that a wilder, much untamed surfing paradise has been waiting for its moment?

As a question writer who has spent the past 15 years chasing horizons, I’ve learned that the top thrills travel from discovering incredible, lesser-known places. This bid is calved from that tone of discovery, dedicated to uncovering the psyche of my beloved adopted home, Mexico. 

Surfers who emotion Hawaii’s formation country volition besides emotion the 1 successful Puerto Escondido. (Nellie Huang)

In this installment, we’re going connected a pilgrimage to the bosom of Mexico’s surf culture. On the seashore of Oaxaca, the Pacific Ocean carves a coastline with the aforesaid earthy powerfulness and epic standard arsenic Hawaii, but offers a magic of its own. If you’ve ever felt the propulsion of a Hawaiian swell, hole to beryllium captivated by Mexico’s astir inviting surf town: Puerto Escondido.

Hawaii vs Puerto Escondido

But however tin a laid-back formation municipality successful Oaxaca perchance measurement up to the surfing mecca of Hawaii? More than you’d think. 

They whitethorn person precise antithetic taste backdrops, but the surf country is strikingly similar. You’ll find the aforesaid people of sun-bleached surfers, a premix of die-hard locals and planetary wanderers, each drawn by the telephone of the ocean. And erstwhile the day’s past acceptable has rolled in, you’ll find them successful the aforesaid benignant of place: palapa (thatch-roofed) formation bar, swapping stories implicit acold beers and watching the prima dip beneath the horizon.

Both Hawaii and Puerto Escondido connection melodramatic coastal scenery and warm, inviting waters year-round. This shared earthy playground is besides teeming with marine life. It’s not uncommon successful either determination to beryllium joined connected a question by a pod of playful dolphins oregon to spot humpback whales breaching offshore during their migration season. 

The lure of Hawaiian waves

Hawaii’s estimation arsenic the birthplace of modern surfing is well-earned. It’s legendary breaks, similar those connected the North Shore of Oahu, are synonymous with monolithic swells, daring maneuvers and a affluent past that has shaped the sport. But Hawaii is besides notoriously expensive: the airfare, edifice and nutrient prices are each exorbitant. And the astir celebrated breaks present are fiercely competitory and crowded. 

Enter Puerto Escondido, often dubbed the “Mexican Pipeline” for bully reason. This vibrant municipality connected Oaxaca’s coastline is location to immoderate of the astir accordant and almighty surf successful North America. Here, the Pacific Ocean delivers challenging waves year-round, careless of the season, peculiarly astatine the celebrated Playa Zicatela.

Playa Zicatela successful Puerto Escondido is simply a nesting situation for endangered oversea turtles. (Nellie Huang)

The 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) agelong connected Zicatela has adjacent been chosen arsenic the 14th World Surfing Reserve by the Save The Waves Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting surf ecosystems astir the world. For respective years, they’ve been connected the crushed moving with locals to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt tourism and taking attraction of the environment.

And there’s truthful overmuch to support present beyond the surf. The coastal ecosystem astir Zicatela hosts critically important terrestrial and marine biodiversity. In fact, the formation is simply a ace important nesting situation for 3 antithetic taxon of oversea turtles: olive ridley, achromatic turtles and the critically endangered leatherback.

Highlights of Puerto Escondido

Of course, Puerto Escondido is conscionable 1 of the galore formation towns poised connected Oaxaca’s awesome 530-kilometer (330-mile) coastline. While Playa Zicatela is astir suitable for precocious surfers, La Punta astatine the confederate extremity offers a much mellow constituent interruption cleanable for intermediate surfers looking to amended their skills. Beginners taking surf lessons oregon anyone looking for a harmless spot to aquatics and unbend should caput to Playa Carrizalillo, a picture-perfect cove with calmer waters. 

Beyond the sand, there’s plentifulness to bash successful Puerto Escondido. For a existent portion of section life, dive into the vibrant Benito Juárez market. It’s the cleanable spot to drawback immoderate astonishing thoroughfare nutrient and spot regular beingness up close. If you’re an carnal lover, you perfectly person to publication a vessel travel to spot dolphins successful the wild. Time your sojourn for wintertime (December to March) and you mightiness conscionable spot humpback whales breaching, which is genuinely a life-changing sight. 

My favourite escapade of each was releasing babe turtles connected Playa Bacocho astatine sunset with Vive Mar, a non-governmental enactment that works tirelessly to support turtles that nest on this coast. Holding the babies successful our hands and past watching them marque their mode into the water was a genuinely affectional acquisition for my daughter. We besides learned a batch astir the turtle taxon that unrecorded successful Mexico astatine the National Mexican Turtle Center successful Mazunte, an hour’s thrust on the Oaxacan coastline.

How to marque the astir of your visit

Getting to Puerto Escondido is overmuch much convenient present than ever, with an planetary airdrome served by large Mexican cities. But if you person time, I powerfully suggest flying into Oaxaca City and combining your surf travel with a taste exploration of the humanities city. Old municipality Oaxaca is not conscionable the street nutrient superior of Mexico but besides a UNESCO World Heritage tract brimming with taste sites and artisanal markets. 

The metropolis of Oaxaca is simply a large spot to alert into (and experience) earlier heading connected to Puerto Escondido. (Unsplash/Ryan Doyle)

The marque caller superhighway connecting Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido has dramatically reduced question time, transforming a winding 6-7 hr thrust into a comfy 2.5-3 hr journey. You tin easy acquisition the champion of some worlds: the vibrant arts, cuisine and past of Oaxaca City, followed by the sun-drenched beaches and unthinkable waves of Puerto Escondido successful 1 trip. 

A surfing paradise

The bottommost line? Puerto Escondido isn’t conscionable a stand-in for Hawaii. It’s the full epic surf travel — monster waves, rustic formation bars, a buzzing country and jaw-dropping scenery — but with a refreshingly chill vibe and a terms tag that leaves plentifulness of currency for post-surf tacos and mezcal. 

The gully of Puerto Escondido is nary longer a concealed successful Mexico. However, it’s hardly known extracurricular of the country. You won’t find the crowds of Cancún oregon Puerto Vallarta, but expect to footwear backmost connected laidback strands with world-class swells and thatch-roofed formation huts, wrapped up successful the warm, authentic tone of Mexico. 

Nellie Huang is simply a self-proclaimed Mexico-holic based successful San Miguel de Allende. She’s the writer of Lonely Planet’s Mexico guidebook and has written hundreds of articles connected Mexico for assorted publications. Read astir her adventures worldwide connected wildjunket.com and travel her updates connected Instagram @wildjunket.