The less-advertised side of Puerto Escondido. Photo: Geometría Líquida//YouTube
When Puerto Escondido shows up on your feeds, it’s usually because an XL swell is slamming Playa Zicatela. The beachbreak becomes exhilarating, death-defying, must-watch entertainment that draws the world’s best big wave surfers.
But there is a lesser-seen side to the Mexican Pipeline: fun-sized, overhead barrels that the mere mortal surfer can paddle into. Local videographer Edwin Morales recently captured one of these four-to-six-foot sessions, showing how Zicatela can serve up bountiful tubes that pros and competent surfers alike can enjoy. Mexico’s first-ever Championship Tour surfer, Alan Cleland, even made the trip down from Pascuales to get in on the action.
“No giant swell, no chaos — just a beautiful, classic day at Zicatela with plenty of opportunities and some incredible surfing,” Morales said.
This day at Puerto Escondido still had stiff offshore winds and fairly large sets, so don’t get it twisted: even at this size, Zicatela can break boards and bones, and sitting in the correct spot can be challenging. But between the closeouts, there are tubes for everyone — if they can get one among the crowd. Cleland said he paddled up and down the beach looking for the right wave, until some of the local guys let him sneak into a nice right.
“I’m happy because it was a little closed out, a little difficult — I wasn’t finding waves, paddling all over the beach, but I got near ‘the boys,’ and they let me have one,” Cleland said.
