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  1. #26
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    Nov 2002
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    8,715
    I was only in Punta de Mita twice and I walked down to La Lancha. All the breaks from town to La Lancha were ankle high and unsurfable (both times I was there was high tide). La Lancha might have gotten to chest on the set but basically waist. Guy that ran the water sports center at my resort has surfed that area his whole life. He said in the winter Burros (Donkey Point) is generally a bit bigger and his go to break.

    edit: I was surfing on 12/21 and 12/23 if you want to look back at the buoy data.

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    4
    The Sayulita town breaks can get good on a solid NW but will get crowded. There's also a beachie up at San Pancho (San Francisco) about 10 mins north of Sayulita that can be really fun

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
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    Perfect location for family trip.

    I found some marginal to decent surf.

    Excellent food. A bit pricey for Mex, but cheaper stuff was around. Excellent, as in quality chef planned food. Great locals.

    Only tiny surf out front. Every where else is bigger. 20 minute sandy walk to La Lancha or 4km drive with a 200m walk. You do need a board to get through the gate. 30 minute cobble stone walk to El Faro. 10 minutes more to the cove. So not like just surfing out front, but all are pretty easy to access. 600 pesos gets you a boat to any (and further away) surf spots. We snorkeled at the islands and whale watched for $140US for four adults and a niño.

  4. #29
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    Jun 2007
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    Here is my beta and trip report to share. If any of you are considering venturing tis way, feel free to PM for more details, especially break access. It is a lot easier to get to all these breaks than I was led to believe, but they want you paying for boat service after all.

    Blog report here. If you prefer not to click, I put a few pics up in the Anyone get some today?? thread.

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
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    Sweet blog. I've always wanted to say that with a little bit of sincerity on here.

    Just booked 5 nights at surfhousesanpancho.com at the end of May with another 3 nights in Sayulita for a buddy's wedding. It's shared accommodations at the surf house, but it looks quite nice and breakfast/dinner, boards, and local transportation is $385! Can't wait!

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
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    8,715
    Thank for the write up Ot. Jibes with my Punta Mita experience. You got more surfing on your non-surfing vacation that I did, so you win that. Riviera Nayrit is blowing up. So much more developed than even 5 yrs. OK. Marietta's is pretty much an amusement park these days. Stale, make sure you report back on that place. Looks like a good deal and the kind of place I'd be interested in. I surf place where they handle the logistics with out being a surf camp. I wonder how they manage the surf missions if there are differing abilities? I wonder if I'm an intermediate?

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
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    742
    Quote Originally Posted by ACheateaux View Post
    There needs to be some west in the swell for it to wrap around to La Lancha. All the waves tend to be more soft, but not gutless. I look at the forecast and make the call as to what I bring. I always roll a short surf SUP and then either bring a 5'11 fish or a 6'8 round pin quad that will handle damn near anything. That 30 min walk to El Faro or LL can get sharp, I bring 5 fingers and depending on tides surf with em in my pocket for the walk out or stash em on the beach. The "beach" at El Anclote is combo of inside jetty sand where all the kids swim (doesn't mean it's clean though), rocky shoreline further west and stay out of the water further east of the break, there's a sewage pipe that can shit up the water.
    Not to mention cutting your feet in any of the rivers that have active staph running through them. Not exactly a ideal place to become ill. Has been a uptick in crime against tourists of late as well. Long time gringo buddy of mine who has been there since 86 recently left for good. Times have changed and the $ is making it less worth it. The east coasters have basically ruined that place. Californians had been going there for decades and had already been taught the drill by the Baja-sadly whiiicked lobstahhhhs have dickered that place but good.

  8. #33
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    Jun 2007
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    Crime? Sure there is some, but not like else where I have traveled in Central America. As for staph, dry season, problem solved. OTOH, I can't imagine the hike to Butros in the wet season. No way I'd want to want down that creek bed when wet.

  9. #34
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    Oct 2009
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    Evergreen
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    Those whale shots are killer.

  10. #35
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    Oct 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by stalefish3169 View Post
    Sweet blog. I've always wanted to say that with a little bit of sincerity on here.

    Just booked 5 nights at surfhousesanpancho.com at the end of May with another 3 nights in Sayulita for a buddy's wedding. It's shared accommodations at the surf house, but it looks quite nice and breakfast/dinner, boards, and local transportation is $385! Can't wait!
    I'll be down there may 24-June 3. Holla!

  11. #36
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
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    793
    Quote Originally Posted by Ottime View Post
    Crime? Sure there is some, but not like else where I have traveled in Central America. As for staph, dry season, problem solved. OTOH, I can't imagine the hike to Butros in the wet season. No way I'd want to want down that creek bed when wet.
    not true about the staph,,, problem not solved, as for crime if you spent more than a week there you would see the real mex........................

  12. #37
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    No shit Sherlock. That is a given. Not contesting that. From a tourist perspective it felt very safe. That from my in laws who have not traveled third world. So, as it is now, it is not hurting the tourism, is what I'm suggesting. Maybe it was just a slow week for crime, but there were plenty of gringos spending money.

  13. #38
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    And the staph thing. It's called tongue in cheek. It's a thing.

  14. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by ACheateaux View Post
    I'll be down there may 24-June 3. Holla!
    Nice! You going to the surfhouse camp? Or just the area?

  15. #40
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    Oct 2009
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    Staying at a bros place in Sayulita til the 1st, then up to north of San Pancho til the 4th.

  16. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by ACheateaux View Post
    Those whale shots are killer.
    Thanks. Made me wish I had a steadier hand and/or much nicer lens. Probably one of the harder things I've tried to shoot. After I got those shots off, I just decided to sit and enjoy until we sped off toward the islands.

  17. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by ACheateaux View Post
    Staying at a bros place in Sayulita til the 1st, then up to north of San Pancho til the 4th.
    Nice I'm doing the camp the 24th-28th in San Pancho and will be in Sayulita the 29th-1st at an airbnb house. Got a bro's wedding on the 31st.

  18. #43
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    Dec 2008
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    Just got back from 9 days in the Punta Mita to San Pancho corridor. I had an amazing time! I did 5 nights with four days of surfing at Surf House San Pancho and can't recommend them enough. Their show is pretty much a maggot paradise. The house is nothing fancy, but it is super cool and the views are incredible. Turned out I was the only person there at the time, so I got a 2:1 instructor ratio. It's a husband and wife team (Luis and Bianca). Luis does most of the surf instruction and Bianca does the cooking. Both of them are super cool and awesome at what they do.

    Luckily, Hurricane Amanda was churning about 700 miles off the coast and sent some swell over while I was there. We did 3 days at La Lancha which was super easy to surf and had a mellow vibe. The first day I was there it was about 3-4 feet with about 20 people in the water. The second day was slightly bigger with a similar crowd. There were a good number of beginners the first day, but most of them didn't get in the way really. However, there was one gringo d-bag who rolled up in a skiff on a private lesson where his instructor proceeded to push him into waves right in the middle of the main lineup on his 12' longboard. I'm by no means a great surfer, but if you can't paddle for your own waves, stay the fuck out of the main lineup. Okay?

    The third day, the scene was completely different as it was when Amanda's swell arrived. Most waves were in the head-high range with a few sets slightly overhead. I was by far the crappiest (and palest) surfer in the water that day. There were probably only 10 guys in the water that day and it was a damn good one! Here is one of me that Bianaca took that day.




    My last day I went to Stinky's with my buddy and his fiance' that he was marrying the next day where I got them a lesson for their wedding present. Stinky's is close to Anclote and is a total beginner break, but it was still a lot of fun. The sets were in the 3' range.

    After the camp was over, I did 3 nights in Sayulita which was super duper fun. That place knows how to party and we got some epic places for really good low season deals. That being said, it was hot as fuck. A pool is a really really good idea. My friends got this near top-tier spot where I spent a good bit of time for about 60USD a person/nite.




    As said earlier Tacos el Ivan has the best Al Pastor in town. They defy gravity with the pineapple there. The 5KM Surf Bar Cochinas tacos near PM were also incredible.

    All in all, it was a really sweet experience. It's not Cloudbreak, but it's not half way around the world, and I'll probably never surf there anyway. I will post more when I have some time.
    Last edited by stalefish3169; 11-27-2014 at 12:00 PM.

  19. #44
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    Jun 2007
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    Nice. If La Lancha was head high I imagine the breaks out by the point were solid. Must be nice being there when the waves are cranking.

  20. #45
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    Jan 2012
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    Bend, OR
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    Is that the high bungalow at Villa Amor? Epic spot.

  21. #46
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    Not Villa Amor... Private house on the N side of town via Google Photosphere.

    Sent from my SCH-I545 using TGR Forums

  22. #47
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    Jan 2012
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    Quote Originally Posted by stalefish3169 View Post
    Not Villa Amor... Private house on the N side of town via Google Photosphere.

    Sent from my SCH-I545 using TGR Forums
    Congrats on scoring, have you surfed Pacific City? Shit is fun when it's big.

  23. #48
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    Van City and Whistler
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    2,026
    Bump this thread as the wife and I just got back from a week. Criteria. Fly somewhere close with surf in board shorts, which leaves Mexico or Hawaii. We choose mainland Mex as we have done Baja and Hawaii multiple times. In hind sight should have done Hawaii, but still had a blast.

    We stayed in San Pancho because I liked that it was a small traditional Mexican beach town and up north. I.e. we could still check out spots up north. I vastly underestimated the time it took to get to north spots. Was hoping to check out San Blas area but too far out of the way.

    Essentially knee to waist high the entire time. So we rented logs from Coral Reef in Bucerias (he has a good selection of boards where as the shops in San Pancho didn't have much) and had a blast nose riding and messing around all week. Guac and margs at sunset. Beauty little trip. Would have loved some overhead and shortboardable surf. In that respect should have gone to Hawaii.

    La Lancha - Longboard wave. The left is actually much better than the right. Faster, steeper, just kick out before the cliffs and rocks. Great spot to learn to surf if you are brand new to the sport. Very mellow takeoff. New rule here since this thread. They limit the spot to 30 people from the road per day now. So you pretty much have to get there at 7-8am when the security guard shows up at 7. Was talking to one local guy and he says when it gets big. Double overhead range the La Lancha right totally closes out but the left gets insane and super fun and very, very long. He pointed a long ass way away as to the beach you kick out at. That would be a dream.

    Burros - If it is knee to waist high make sure you go around low to mid tide. High tide doesn't work when it is small. Still fun and one afternoon was chest high which was very refreshing and just made me want better swell badly. Fun right. Fun wave.

    San Pancho - Shitty beach break fed by a classic latin american river that is essentially everyone's septic system. Beautiful beach, just the water quality is clearly not good or healthy. Perhaps gets good on the right swells but I imagine it is just typical beach break most of the time.

    Playa Tortugas - In the middle of nowhere. Was bigger than everywhere else when we looked but messy and blown out. I imagine on a north this would turn into a pretty unreal point. Funny driving along a rutted and puddle filled dirt road for half an hour into nowhere land and pull up to a manicured and fancy ass little gated community.

    Chacala - Drive to this town and get the fisherman to take you to the wave. It was knee high when we were there and essentially too small to surf but the obvious perfection of this left hand point was crazy. If there is swell make sure you pay the money for a local boat. Bummed I didn't get this wave good. Cleanest most pristine surf spot I've ever seen in Latin America as well. Been to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Baja, and this now trip. Crystal clear hawaii style waters. Just a beautiful spot. Apparently it gets quite crowded when its on but would be worth it.

    Fun little trip overall. Don't know if I'll go back but there are only so many short haul airports from Vancouver for board short surfing. So perhaps. Definitely wouldn't be a planned in advance trip though. I'd wait for swell then hit it. Swell on tap for this weekend up north. Back into the 6/5/4.

  24. #49
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    Jun 2007
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    the left at la lancha, eh. when I was there, it was fairly short, but very bowly. much more so than the right. i imagine it could be a fun place to go during the summer souths, but otherwise it seems like it needs a massive npac swell to really get things going.

    nice to be home closer to the source?

  25. #50
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Van City and Whistler
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    2,026
    ^Thanks Ott for some beta. Definitely helped.
    Nice to be home. Stoked for some of this weekend's 10@15 that hopefully comes through. Going to go scare myself at some new to me waves on the island. They should be quite exciting.
    How was that siberian mega storm in SC?

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