A SLICE OF MEXICO
BLAIR STEWART
Cool calm and collective Blair revels in anything that barrels.
Mexico had been calling my name for a few years now but whenever I had tried to piece a trip together everyone would be super keen until crunch time then they would all end up slipping back into the same old Indo they know, and often complain about! Then how gutted am I when I am locked in with work-sustained injuries and can't go? That all the crew I had bounced this idea off year after year go without me.... not once, but back to back years. Another year had rolled around and I was determined I was going to get there. The idea was again floated out amongst the crew that had been the year before and scored, but again as the time neared the magnet that is Indo was too strong, and my wing men were bailing out on me left right and centre. It would seem that Mexico and I were not made to be ha ha. After yarning to a young Adam Grimson at the beach about how gutted I was about the trip falling apart, he said "What about me? I'll be amped to go there!" And just like that the upside down smile was replaced with hoots and jumps of joy ha ha. Ok so the trip was back on, again the idea was floated to some other guys and photog's but again their response was na, I'm off to Indo. After hearing this I was like F it, I'm just going on a surf mission, no hassles, I go where I want and when I want. And that plan suited Adam Grimo down to a tee also. This was no longer a photo shoot trip, but a ‘going surfing with a couple of buddies’ trip. On a cold, mid June day, Adam and his dad Tom Grimo (who had jumped in at the chance to go hang out in the sun and drink a couple of cold beers) and I were sitting on the Air NZ flight bound for LA. With an empty seat next to us belonging to South Island charger Sammy Hawke, ChCh had been blanketed in snow and with texts and phone calls being made to him we were unsure whether he was going to make the flight. Then he arrives with a flustered looked "Far out boys mission...snow had closed the airport in ChCh and I've been on the ping pong mission around the South Island to get a flight out in time, only just made it." and with that the boys surf mission was on! Mexico was a welcome change of surf destination for me, Indo had worn thin, as good as those corduroy lines of swell that rap onto those waves are, I just needed something new. The rawness and power of the pacific swells hitting Mexico had always had me thinking, and with 14 trips to Hawaii over the years it was the new spot I was after. Kiwi Dave Stanly was our connection over there and greeted us on arrival. The first thing he said was "Shit, you boys brought the good weather with ya, it's 43 degree's today" and with that he was cracking open a cold beer for us all. LEGEND! The second thing he said wasn't so good, "Shit boys, the surfs been pretty flat and the outlook isn't flash either." BUT flat in Mexico is pumping at any beach in NZ. We arrived at our destination that would be home for the next two weeks, and what we see is far from flat but a solid 3 to 4 foot dumping peaks, although onshore, the morning would be on! The question is asked, "you said it was flat Dave?" his reply was "Yeah and it is mate, normally it's 10 foot day day after day here between the months of June till September, and what we call big, is big! 20 foot, so yeah this is flat." Classic, cause flat in my
books is not surf-able, Mexico I love you. Being this was not a photo trip, but a good old surf trip, it was nice to be away from the arguments from guys all wanting to surf different spots. Goofy's only ever want to go left, natural footers only want to go right, this guy wants to find a shore break to do air's or this guy only wants to go there, and so on. Sorry boys this isn't a stab at anyone but just telling the general public about how things go down when on trips. For me waking up a stones throw from the beach, which was offshore each morning, was gold, no travelling to go here, no arguments about where to surf, it was all there. In the glorious form of an epic beach break, go left, go right, do air's, get barrels, do turns, and then drink a couple cold beers, all there at the one spot. Gold I say! How to explain this spot? if you have surfed Matakana before, well it's just like that, epic barrelling peaks swinging in all over the place, in one surf you can't seem to buy a wave, the next you are
IF YOU HAVE SURFED MATAKANA BEFORE, WELL IT’S JUST LIKE THAT, EPIC BARRELLING PEAKS SWINGING IN ALL OVER THE PLACE, IN ONE SURF YOU CAN’T SEEM TO BUY A WAVE, THE NEXT YOU ARE JUST THE MAGNET GUY.
just the magnet guy. We didn't get big surf but we had great surf every day, ranging from 3 foot through to a couple of days at 6 foot. I loved this spot, how quickly can the excitement of getting a stand-up 6 foot barrel be erased? Having the wave behind the one you just scraped over be bigger and about to land right on your head. All the boards I broke happened while paddling back out. At times you would find yourself paddling back to the beach, and this occurred when what are normally easily manageable 5 to 6 foot waves were coming at ya, the power of which this place breaks is out of hand. It really is a place you have to check out if you're a keen surfer.
The down sides are: The sea breeze kicked in everyday by midday. Shifty unpredictable waves. No channel to paddle back out in. Isolated. HOT. The up side to this place: Sea breeze by midday - you can only take so many pounding in one morning, plenty time for an afternoon snooze ha ha. Shifty peaks- if the bank you were surfing got a little crowed, you had just go up or down the beach a bit. No channels - but the outrageous rips that would start up after big sets, good to get out in, good for your fitness if you got caught in one. Isolated- hardly anyone surfs there. Hot- which meant the best place to be was in the surf.
When the afternoon sea breeze had come through and we had regained some energy from a snooze correctly termed a siesta in this part of the world, body surfing the sand grinding peaks was on order. Every day our routine was consistent, up at first light, get barrels until the wind came up, eat, sleep, body surf, then cold beer. How can ya beat that? So to end, if ya want a little something different from the same old Indo shuffle get ya self onto that plane and head for Mexico, with a coastline of over 9330 km's, I'm sure you'll find your own little slice of paradise like we did.