The first few days of June were no joke at Puerto Escondido. June 1 was as good as you could hope for, well overhead and spitting eight to 12-foot tubes as the southwest swell arrived. That same pulse ran for three more days, gradually simmering down to about head high to nine feet — still solid, picture-perfect Puerto Escondido on the brink of summertime.
The whole area put on a show that backed up the case for its fresh designation as the newest World Surf Reserve. The Save the Waves Coalition made that announcement earlier this year, pinpointing 10 kilometers of coast and eight surf breaks that will be protected from a handful of threats: improper wastewater infrastructure, erosion that could be exacerbated by a nearby port, harmful coastal development, and loss of sandbanks.
“Puerto Escondido reflects the quintessential surf ecosystem, incredible world-class waves, a biodiverse environment with important ecosystems for coastal resilience, and a united community willing and able to defend the place they love,” Save the Waves CEO Nik Strong-Cvetich said back in March.
From a pure surfing perspective, this swell put all that on display and then some.
