When Nate Florence is pulling back, you know it’s big at Puerto Escondido. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
When a very large south swell marches its way up the Pacific coast, big wave surfers’ eyes turn to Puerto Escondido. Nate Florence is one of those surfers, and this giant south was no different — except for the fact that it was a little more giant than usual.
Florence knew he needed to be in Mexico, so in Mexico he was. When the swell arrived, it was immediately clear that this would be on a different level. It wasn’t just Puerto, of course. The same swell hammered California and did amazing things to other south swell magnets, like Malibu and the Wedge. Whenever a big swell like this happens, lifeguards are on full alert, and this one certainly kept them busy. But for Nate, California was not the place to be. Mexico was.
When it’s huge at Puerto, long waits are often necessary to get the wave you want. Paddling for anything you can drop into is not the best way to surf big Puerto, because, quite frankly, you’ll wind up getting your ass handed to you. Instead, being a choosy surfer is the name of the game.
“Waves were slow and closed out,” Nate wrote. “Ivan and I sat for nearly four hours.”
Patience, as they say, is a virtue, and Nate is a patient surfer if nothing else. Whether that’s from having actual patience or just a stubborn refusal to wait until the right wave comes, it’s tough to say… but whatever the case, it worked.
