Our Wild Mex Surf Camp In Sayulita and Punta Mita teaches true surf etiquette so you can think like a pro even before your first lesson.
By WildMex

Surfing Etiquette 101 – Becoming the Good Kind of Surfer

Our Wild Mex Surf Camp In Sayulita and Punta Mita teaches true surf etiquette so you can think like a pro even before your first lesson. Our WildMex Surf Camp In Sayulita and Punta Mita teaches true surf etiquette so you can think like a pro even before your first lesson.

Registered for the WildMex Surf Camp in Punta Mita or Sayulita? Yeeew! Here’s an early welcome from the Wild Mex team to an adventure you have probably never experienced before! For now, the feelings you experience might be mixed. You might be excited and eager, and maybe even at the same time, a bit nervous... Let’s face it, starting a new thing is always scary. A small voice in your head might say, “What if you can’t pull this off?” But say adios to this little voice because we are here to teach you how to be the best beginner for your next surf adventure here in Mexico. This crash course will help you learn all there is to surfing terminologies and etiquettes so you don’t feel clueless and nervous within your first week of camp and surf lessons In Punta Mita!

Surf Lessons In Punta Mita!

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Learn how to read tides, waves and learn the best time to surf Punta Mita & Sayulita waves in our Wild Mex surf camp. You’ll learn how to read tides, waves and learn the best time to surf Punta Mita & Sayulita waves in our Wild Mex surf camp.

The Basics of Surfing: All the Theory with a Twist!

Experienced surfers will accumulate a lot of time in the water, this means that they have learned to gauge which waves will break and which waves are the best to catch. They also know when is the best time to surf Punta Mita waves because they know the tides, swells and how to avoid the competitive crowds.

However, surfing for beginners in Punta Mita or Sayulita can seem overwhelming when you can’t keep up with all the surfer terms. So, here are some of the basics and theories that you need to know before your first class at your Surf Camp in Punta Mita and Sayulita with WildMex!

1) Learning the Wave Directions

To have good surf, the first thing you'll need to learn is to understand how swells work and which waves are the best ones to get familiar with. Once you start your surf lessons in Punta Mita or Sayulita, you will begin to hear your coach and other surfers use the terms listed below, take a read and get familiar with them, knowing the lingo may be the difference between you catching 0 waves or 10!

The Direction of the Wind

Offshore wind - what surfers' dreams are made of. Offshore wind is the kind that blows from the land to the ocean, this is the best kind for surfing. It produces waves that are clean and groomed and indicate the best time to surf Punta Mita, Sayulita, or any other waves for that matter. Also, a swell coming in from the north will break differently than a swell arriving from the south. It’s important to point out that it is also possible to surf when the wind is Onshore, the kind that blows from ocean to land, however, this is the worst wind for surfing. The wind blows in from the ocean and ensures that all the waves crumble and have no shape, making the waves prettttty hard to surf!

Tide

Gauging the tide is important to catch the best waves. Some beaches work best on low tide and others on high tide. Different tides can either make waves "mushy"; breaking slowly with a lip that just sort of crumbles over when the wave breaks, or "hollow"; fast-breaking, barreling waves with lips that pitch out forcefully into the wave's trough. You’ll learn the local tides from your coach once you arrive here!

The Best Kinds

The types of waves that you experience while surfing in Punta Mita and Sayulita are beach breaks, pointbreaks, and reef breaks. These waves all have their own characteristics:

Waves Pros Cons
Beach Breaks Beach Breaks tend to be common, with consistent waves and nice sand bottoms. Beach Breaks can be unforgiving, with difficult paddle-outs
Pointbreaks Pointbreaks can offer perfectly shaped waves and the longest rides of any kind of wave. Pointbreaks can get a little too crowded sometimes and are generally not that consistent
Reef Breaks Reef Breaks Reef Breaks are where advanced surfers go in search of the best barrels. Reef Breaks usually have uneven and/or sharp bottoms composed of rock or coral. Reef Breaks usually have uneven and/or sharp bottoms composed of rock or coral.

But drawbacks aside, all these types of waves can offer excellent surf, and as any dedicated surfer will tell you, the rewards of surfing are worth more than material wealth.

Lefts and Rights

Understanding where the wave will break is impossible if you haven’t had any or little experience with surfing.

Waves “peel” to either the left or the right. As a beginner learning to Surf in Punta Mita and Sayulita there is a simple way to tell the difference between the two “peels”.

When you're lying down on your surfboard, paddling into a wave, you're going to drop into the wave and angle either towards your right with the wave crashing to your left (then it’s a right-hander) or you're left with the wave crashing to your right (which tells us it’s a left-hander).

If you’re watching from the shore, a surfer surfing in Punta Mita going left means they’re riding a right peeling wave. Don’t worry if you don’t get it yet, you will find it obvious the minute you see it for yourself!

Rip Tides

Another terminology that you might hear a lot when you’re learning to Surf in Punta Mita and Sayulita is rip currents or rip tides. While this term might sound dangerous, and it is, but only for those unfamiliar with how they work, yet for those who follow a few basic rules, rips are nothing to fear!

A rip is a path of water being pushed onto the shore by the waves takes to run back into the ocean, they can often appear as deeper and darker colored water in a relatively calm or rippled channel between breaking waves. However, these channels actually indicate fast currents moving back out to sea. One sign to spot one may be noticing anything floating out to sea via that route.

Rip currents can be dangerous because people can become exhausted trying to swim against the current back to shore, however, many surfers use this channel to enter the ocean from the shore or get back out the back after catching a wave. The way to escape the channel once you get out the back is by swimming parallel to the shore to escape the rip current. Never swim against the current back to shore.

Learn how to read waves, do Eskimo rolls and how to avoid wipeouts in our surf camp in Sayulita and Punta Mita. You’ll learn how to read waves, do Eskimo rolls and how to avoid wipeouts in our surf camp in Sayulita and Punta Mita.

2) Sets

Set waves are those waves that come in larger than the overall significant wave height. In this case, it is quite probable that you’ll have a wipeout one time or another.

To try and avoid a wipeout, once you see a set coming (a good indication of this is seeing all other surfers paddling out fast), you should follow them and paddle out too in the opposite direction of wherever the wave is peeling from.

If you run out of time and you see the wave is about to crash on you, always opt for a turtle roll, also known as the Eskimo roll, a surfing technique that allows you to get past the breaking waves without having to discard your surfboard or duck dive in challenging conditions. You’ll learn how to do this at your surf camp in Sayulita and Punta Mita.

3) Wipe Outs

Let’s talk realistically, wipeouts are what you’re fearing the most. But stop! Wipeouts are common, even for expert surfers, and if you learn how to tackle them you will be safe!

If you do get hit by a wave and held underwater, never panic and scratch hard for the surface! It doesn't matter if you only managed to get just half a lungful of air, you'll be alright if you just simply relax. In the words of a surfer:

“Relaxing may not seem easy when you’ve encountered your first wipeout. Every second underwater might feel like ten, but even on a powerful wave, you'll be underwater for no more than five to ten seconds. So, when the wave is starting to recede, you can come back up and BREATHE…”

Pro Tip: Your Surfboard is your Best Friend!

Don't forget that your surfboard isn't just for riding waves, it is also an excellent lifesaving device and your primary means of getting out of trouble should a bad situation arise. So, don’t ditch it unless it is extremely necessary.

4) Crowding and Surfing Etiquette

Another concept you would want to learn before you get started with the waves is surfer etiquette.

If you take off on a wave in front of someone, you're basically stealing the wave, as the surfer who was already up and riding has to give up the wave or risk having a collision with you.

And not just collisions, one wave ridden by two persons is trouble! If you’re at the back and the surfer in front of you rides away while you’re at the end-side of the wave, you’ll experience a pretty blatant drop-in.

And the easiest way to avoid drop-ins is simple - stay away from crowds! Crowds tend to get competitive, and there are always those in the water who don't care so much about having fun as they do about showing off and catching all the waves they can.

Always give way to the surfer closest to the highest point of the wave (the peak). They have the right of way on the wave.

Surfing for Beginners in Punta Mita doesn’t have to be so tricky! Here’s the 101 for surfing in the area… Surfing for Beginners in Punta Mita doesn’t have to be so tricky! Here’s the 101 for surfing in the area…

Summing it Up

To sum up our crash course, don’t forget to have fun!

The best thing you can do for both yourself and others in the water is simple - just respect others and enjoy yourself! It's hard not to have a good time in the surf, but everyone has a bad day every once in a while.

But hey, don’t worry, be happy! Remember to always stay in a relaxed frame of mind, and encourage others to do the same. Share waves, smile, and give a kind word to both friends and strangers alike. Hoot for others when you see them get a good wave, and soon you'll hear other surfers hooting for you on your good ones too!

We can’t wait to welcome you to the waves!

Peace & love,

Wild Mex

Newsletter Surfing
Winter is the best time to surf in Punta Mita - From November to March (right now!), being an experience of a lifetime.
By WildMex

Getting Tubed is a “PARADISIACAL EXPERIENCE” only Surfers know

Surfing In Punta Mita 2022

Surfer getting barreled in a big wave
Paradisiacal, heavenly, and angels seemingly in chorus; this is how surfers describe the experience of being in a tube. Since getting tubed is an experience only known to surfers, let us mesmerize you with a string of words woven together that capture the beauty of the moment from Javier Chavez, the owner and founder of WildMex Surf & Adventure:

“Getting tubed is that ephemeral moment when one gets engulfed in the water. The feeling that the giant of a wave can wipe you out with one wrong move gives an adrenaline rush that adventurous people yearn for.

The view, if only cameras could capture the entire beauty of the barrel! A blend of blues, greens, and the sandy browns moving all at once, yet seemingly not at all.

The silence is the virtue of the barrel, yet the auditory experience of the water is an encounter that is rightly termed as PARADISIACAL! – The longing for this transcendent to never end but concurrently being mesmerized by the light at the end of the barrel is an incomparable feeling.”

Are you still reading? This means you are awe-struck by just the string of words that describe the transcendent experience. Wonder what it would be like to actually experience getting tubed? Read on to find how you can catch your first tube surfing in Punta Mita this 2022.

What Does It Mean ‘Getting Tubed’?

Surfer getting tubed in a big wave
Getting tubed or barreled means that a surfer finds safety amidst a big wave. There is a dredging feeling that it might break upon itself and a possibility that you’d get trapped between the lip and the wall of the water, which is how you get tubed.

However, there is a technique to do this successfully. Surfers spend a lot of time waiting for the perfect moment to get barreled.

Simultaneously, it takes a lot of skill to maintain balance within a barrel; one wrong move and the wave crashes on you, leaving you amongst the heavy white wash with your surfboard out of control.

So, what’s the best way, place and time to get tubed and surf in Punta Mita?

The Surfing Scene Around Punta Mita

Point of view of a surfer catching a barrel from inside the wave.

Mexico is home to some of the most incredible surfing spots in the world, with beaches like Sayulita and Punta Mita amongst some of the popular spots for surfers, (with good reason!)

Winter is the best time to surf in Punta Mita. From November to March, with surfing in Punta Mita being an experience of a lifetime. You’ll catch slow peeling waves on smaller swells to giant and medium barreling waves that can go up to 8ft or more on bigger ones.

The summer season at Punta Mita gets more consistent swells, but you can expect just about anything in winter, and that’s a true adventure as a surfer, right?

And if you are lucky enough, you can catch those rare 5-6 waves a season swells that will mark one of the most tremendous experiences of your life!

Tips For Catching Your First Barrel

Learn how to catch your first barrel with surf camps in Punta Mita for intermediate-advanced surfers here.

Learning to Surf in Punta Mita as an intermediate or an occasional surfer is also a great experience. This is because you get ISA certified instructors, pro surfboards, and a remarkable experience at the WildMex headquarters.

Surf lessons in Punta Mita can equip you with the skills you need to catch your first tube. And boy, you can bet that the first time you catch your first barrel will be unforgettable!

Here are some of the tips you’ll get to learn at our surf camps…

Surf Camps in Punta Mita

Man taking surf lesson in Nayarit Mexico at Wildmex

The holy grail of surfing is getting tubed. Registering for a Surf Camp in Punta Mita with WildMex can be the first step in getting this experience. If you are an intermediate or even the experienced but-out-of-touch kind, registering for a surf camp can be a great way to catch the wintertime barrels at Punta Mita.

Building Confidence When Surfing In Punta Mita

What our surf camps in Punta Mita will do is build your confidence! More often than not, people close their eyes in their first barrel, where they lose out on the best of the experience.

You’ll learn to build your confidence by being comfortable, learning how to safely fall away from your surfboard. The trick is to be confident yet cautious when entering the barrel. Our  ISA certified instructors will teach you just that.

Picking the Right Board

One secret that our surf camp will teach you is picking the right board. Finding barrels on a longboard is challenging. Therefore, surfing on a shortboard is the key to getting the barrel right.

First things first, it fits right in the confines of the barrel. Secondly, it is much easier to control the direction and speed, which are key components to succeeding the barrel.

Learning to Surf in Punta Mita as an intermediate or an occasional surfer with one of our ISA certified instructors is a great way to learn how to catch your first barrel.

Even when surfing Punta Mita in the winter season, catching that perfect barrel requires patience. Till then, why not polish up your surf until that seasonal rare barrel comes that you’ll get to treasure for a lifetime?

Finding The Right Line

When you’re learning how to get tubed, the hardest part is judging whether a wave will break or not. And this ability comes in due time.

Put simply, the more you surf, the better your judgement becomes on how waves break, and so, the easier it becomes to position yourself to catch that barrel!

Stalling The Right Way

Stalling your board the right way to get barreled is the one technique you WILL need to learn. The easiest way is to apply pressure onto your rear foot that diminishes your speed just right to get the barrel.

Another way is to drag one or both of your hands in the face of the wave to slow down.

There are also some trickier approaches that pro surfers use, which you may also get the chance to learn either at a surf camp or within an intermediate-advanced surf lesson in Punta Mita – just ask your instructor!

All in all, getting barreled is an experience that one cannot weave into words. And once you get the hang of it, you will never get enough of it!

Tubing Till The End

Wave tube in Mexico

Once you’re in the tube, the rush of adrenaline and fear is likely to get you to misstep or close your eyes. Don’t make that mistake!

You’ll end up getting crushed by the wave, or you’ll miss out on the epic wave riding experience.

While soaking up the visuals and audio of the tube, keep your eye on the prize, the end of the tunnel, and get out a champ’!

So, what are you waiting for? The best time to surf in Punta Mita is right NOW, and trust us, you don’t want to miss out on your moment.

 

 

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