I had a purely amazing time with the local low key surf community in Zihua’ and Troncones and the people in the cities are so truly living their lifes and welcoming you to be part of it. So contrary to what media says this is a beautiful place to travel and being respectful and connecting to the community I didn’t have to worry about getting into dangerous situations.
Playa Azul, Michoacan
On Thursday morning my lovely friend Laura and I started traveling together to Playa Azul, a non-touristic beach near Lazaro Cádenas. We found a breath-taking strip of coast and a super cheap room to rent in one of the restaurants on the beach. Behind the little coastal street lies a small town with a few shops, restaurants and hotels. Three day we spend here and when I met an old guy having some spare boards, I enjoyed most of the second and third day in the water on beautiful little waves with the few other surfers in town. It is a lovely friendly wave ideal for beginners around this time of year and I had a lot of fun till I stepped on a baby stingray while walking back in the shallow bay. Before I had understood what happened a local handed me some plants, he had quickly picked off the edge of the beach and urged me to go home and keep my foot in hot water with this plant until the pain will wear off. I just got back to our place when the poison was kicking in fully and I was thankful for the foot bath and one smoke after the other to make it through that hour of insane agony.
Apart from that Playa Azul is a pictures long sandy beach, perfect for slow walks and switching off.
Puerto Vicente, Guerrero
This weekend was a short and body board championship taking place in Puerto Vicente, which we headed to on Saturday in much excitement. In the evening we were welcomed by many familiar and new faces. The final would take place the next day and everybody was in a happy exited mood, making a fire and celebrating life under a star filled clear sky. Only a few houses are situated long this side of the peninsular and therefore the night is dark and even the milky way is shimmering bright up above. The small bay super beautiful and next to the rocks to the east the surf comes in perfect waves from the vast Pacific Ocean.
Due to the bays outline reaching from east to west sunrises and sunsets create an equally fascinating picture from the beach. One morning I climbed up the rocks framing the bay in the east and watched the sun arise from the open sea, beautifully lighting up the sky in a performance of various colours.
On Sunday I assisted my friends from the jury, like I had done in Pasquales and stayed with them in the hammocks of the only hotel on this hidden beach. We enjoyed some days there, made the freshest ceviche right on the beach, got to know the community and when the sun stood high, burning down, we started drinking ice cold caguamas of beer, watching the waves and enjoying cheerful conversations. Next, we were headed to Zihuatanejo, a little city north of Puerto Vicente where my friend Arturo ‘Siego’ is from.
Zihuatanejo, Guerrero
We stayed in one of this mates places in down town Zihuatanejo. This small city is quite touristic but mainly frequented by national tourists and has an authentic but lively flair.
In the evenings, the pier is the go-to spot, many nights there will be sporting events happening on the court, families and small groups of people enjoy the cool air coning in from the sea and along fisher men are trying their luck along the harbour and musicians are celebrating the Mexican way of life. Within the city you can find anything from a diving school to sustainable markets and on the weekends especially the place is bussing with people from Colimas inland strolling along these pictures streets.
Troncones, Guerrero
My mate operates a little surf school in the nearby town of Troncones, where he is also the on-call lifeguard. Right next to his shop he owns a lovely loft, we spend around a week renovating the place and getting t ready for the holiday season. Troncones provides decent waves, and some international tourists find their way here to discover the rich area and soak up sun, surf and calm beach vibes.
The beautiful white beach is dotted with black rock formations reaching down to the ocean. Currents can be very strong, and you should be very careful not to get stuck in a rip where big waves break onto the shallow sandbank. I barely had the strength to come back in one time, standing in hip high waters diving under the incoming waves I was on the verge of panicking and needed Arturos help to direct out of it.
Playa Linda & Saladita, Guerrero
A couple of times during my time in Troncones and Zihua, we drove to surf spots in the area.
Playa Linda is a bay 20 minutes north of Zihuatanejo driving along the coastal road. The ground I quite rocky and several peaks give out different waves throughout the bay.
My very favourite spot since what happened in San Pancho, it is a world-famous longboard wave with a single long clean left with loads of room on the shoulder to paddle out comfortably. The spot is well known and in the cool mornings loads of surfers are in the water but on good days the abundance of waves keeps everybody busy and happy.
