The Ensenada port expansion would have ruined waves like this. Photo: Save the Waves
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced she will put a hold on plans to expand two ports in Ensenada, Baja California amid pushback from surfers and environmentalists. The decision comes nine months after the federal government unveiled a project to greatly expand the El Sauzal port north of the city – a plan that would have destroyed several surf breaks and threatened others.
“For now, the (container ship expansion) won’t be moving forward, and instead, we’re going to make a series of improvements for the city of Ensenada,” Sheinbaum said, specifically referencing upgrades to the current cruise terminal and a fishing area. “As I promised, nothing will be done that the people don’t approve of.”
Opponents of the project expressed relief, but are not ready to declare victory.
“This doesn’t mean the project is canceled,” Gino Passalacqua, an Ensenada surfer with a PhD in oceanography, told The Inertia on Thursday. “One thing that still worries me is that she mentioned they were going to work on the highways getting in and out of Ensenada. That was the main issue for the port. There is no highway infrastructure to support a port like that.”
“(The president’s statement) is hopeful,” he added. “I think they felt the pressure, not just from the surfers, but from the general population of Ensenada. We still need to maintain the pressure.”
Beatriz Ibarra, a local environmental activist, echoed this sentiment, saying that the opposition now has a chance to refocus efforts to preserve the coast.
“It’s time to stay united and continue pushing for the protection of our beaches and city,” Ibarra said. “The president said ‘for now.’ And for now, she’ll (continue) pushing for the plans to build a port for invasive tourism.”
The controversy began on December 5, 2024, when the Secretary of the Mexican Navy presented a USD $276-million project to expand the El Sauzal fishing port into a container port. The blueprints included a mile-long breakwater built parallel to the coast. Several popular spots, such as 3Ms, would have been destroyed, while others, like the famed right point of San Miguel, would have been put at risk.
The proposal caught local surfers and environmentalists off guard. They formed the group Ensenada Digna, a coalition of 51 local organizations, staging public protests and launching a petition against the expansion.
Tensions rose in August when officials proposed a million-dollar coastal walkway project to compensate for the lost waves. The Secretary of Mexico’s Navy even claimed that the port would “move the waves to the north.” Ensenada’s surfers called the offer a “mockery.”
Outrage grew again in September after a government-contracted research center said that environmental impact documents would be withheld from public view for three years. The project had been slated to begin this year and finish in 2028.
