Originally published in Bodyboarder International Magazine, Vol 6, #3

The Hidden Port of Oaxaca

By now I think everyone knows the basics about Puerto Escondido. You’ve heard about the perfect A-frame peaks that come in along a two-mile stretch of white sand beach that is lined with grass shacks. Maybe you’ve heard about the 85 degree water and the 100 degree air. You probably also know about the beautiful European girls that lie naked on the beach. And when the locals are calling it flat, it is still overhead! Well, all of this is true (kinda of), but there is much more to Puerto than this scene from “A Bodyboarders Wet Dream.”

In early Spring, a group of bodyboarders, including Robbie Crawford, Vicki Gleeson, Cameron Nelson, J.J. Ayala, Jordan Hetrick, Mady Slater and all-star photographer Russ Hoover, went down to Puerto to investigate the truth about the Mexican Pipeline.

After six hours of layovers, two flights, and fourteen hours of traveling, the enthusiastic crew stepped off the plane into the scorching heat of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. The onshore winds were howling and instant beads of sweat formed on their foreheads. They all threw their boards into a suburban taxi and headed for the hotels. Hotel after hotel were booked and the rates had skyrocketed for the tourist season, until they finally came upon a hotel that had space. There were also ten beautiful Argentinian girls laying around the pool that solidified the guys urges to stay there.

The crew was eager to find out how the waves had been, so Jordan and J.J. went to ask some visiting surfers what the conditions were like in the morning. When they heard the response, they cringed as if they had just drank sour milk.

“There hasn’t been any good waves for two weeks?” questioned J.J., “That’s not what I wanted to hear.” This was J.J.’s first trip to Puerto and he looked a little skeptical about the whole situation.

Now, understand this… when there is no surf in Puerto, there is nothing to do! The intense heat makes it hard to even walk, and unless you have an air conditioned room, sleeping is almost out of the question. Even when there are waves, after the wind turns onshore at about 9:30 in the morning, you still have the entire day to entertain yourself.

Fortunately, the waves did pump! This eased the tension as everyone let out their aggressions on the slamming beach break. The crew timed it perfectly and the two-week lull ended the second day they were in Puerto. Anxieties were relieved and the wave-starved crew of bodyboarders scrambled for wave after wave.

The waves during the first couple of days were well overhead and the Mexican Pipeline was serving up some big Burrito barrels. Just as the crew was beginning to think that the waves couldn’t get any better, the swell hit. Big walls of water marched in from the open ocean forming 15-18 foot peaks that heaved violently towards the shack-covered beach. Unfortunately the sandbars weren’t perfectly formed so some of the peaks would jack up so quickly that they peeled too fast to make.

The locals cheered on in amazement as Mady pulled in on big sets as if she had a death wish and Robbie busted huge air spins. They hooted as their amigo J.J. drove through the barrel on the heavy righthanders and Jordan pulled off big inverts. Cameron “The Man” Nelson “Mandela” pulled in dropknee on some pitting lefthanders and Vicki Gleeson took the high line through deep in and out barrels. At about 9:30 the wind would turn onshore and disguise the perfect beach break as a clone of sloppy, out of control Huntington Beach.

After a quick breakfast, Nelson “Mandela” would order the crew to meet at La Punta, a semi-hollow left point break that is sheltered from the South wind that destroys the beach break. La Punta was dropknee haven for Cameron, who could easily throw tail on the inside closeout and the girls carved the waves from teh outside point all the way to the shorebreak.

After bodyboarding the dredging beachbreak for a couple of days in a row, Russ wanted to take the crew to a secret spot that the locals claimed as their best spot. Despite rumors of banditos throwing logs in the dirt road and robbing whomever dared to enter of all of their worldly possessions, the crew hopped in the taxi and headed for the secret spot.

When they pulled up, the locals looked disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to show the pros their secret spot on a good day. They all decided to return to La Punta seeing that the onshore wind was already on the rise. Once again, the bodyboarders rode the playfully left point break that Cameron loved so dearly.

After the session, back at the hotel, Robbie and Russ searched for amusement by swinging each other around in complete circles in the hammock that hung from the trees just in front of their rooms. Russ got a little too excited and swung Robbie around so fast that he went flying face first into the brick floor. He arose from the patio in a state of shock as one of his front teeth stayed implanted in the brick. Blood squirted everywhere and Robbie screamed in pain.

After visiting three third world dentists, Robbie finally found one that could help. She told him that he needed a root canal, but J.J., a fluent Spanish speaker, told her that there was no way she was going to give his friend a root canal with the antique equipment that she used. Instead, she gave him a temporary cap and some painkillers. She said that Robbie could bodyboard without any worries, but if his tooth became infected, he’d better get on the next flight home. Luckily his tooth did fine and he toughed it out for the rest of the week.

Bodyboarding and surfing is a business in Puerto. The local kids thrive off of the unsuspecting surfers that visit Puerto. They are all really cool kids, but they wouldn’t hesitate to ask you for your Speedos if that is all you had left. If you ever go to Puerto Escondido, don’t say that you weren’t warned.

After ten days of in-depth investigation, the crew found that Puerto isn’t always the dream that everyone believes. The wind turns on like clockwork every day at 9:30, everyone gets their fair share of closeouts and the topless European women don’t speak English. They weren’t complaining, though, after bodybaording solid double overhead waves for a week. It just goes to show that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence, but the waves are bigger and the water is warmer on the other side of the border.

Originally published in Bodyboarder International Magazine, Vol 6, #3

Manny Vargas on the line with Mady Slater

California has its share of women bodyboarders. And Mady Slater is leading the pack. Her kindness and happy go lucky attitude is left on the sand when she charges SoCal’s cold water waves. I had the opportunity to share some Pac Bell time with her right after she got back from a photo shoot in Puerto….

MANNY: Hello, is Mady Slater in?

MADY: Hi, This is she.

MANNY: Mady, you are on the line with Manny Vargas. We have some killer shots up at BIM of you from that Puerto trip. How was the trip?

MADY: It was fun overall, but there were a lot of closeouts so it was kinda tedious. And some of the people I went with got tedious (laughs).

MANNY: Ok. We won’t mention any names, oh right. I love Mexican food. What did you eat while you were in the heart of Mexico.

MADY: I did a little mixing, but No Beans for me… I HATE BEANS. I’ll never eat a bean. I brought a lot of food down there, and I went out to eat a couple of times and got sick. I ate at The Flaming Pearl. (laughs loudly). It sounds like a gay bar. (laughs). Overall I had a good time in Puerto.

MANNY: I heard Robby Crawford biffed it down there.

MADY: There were these hammocks and there was this one that was possessed. And they were swinging me in it and I almost fell out. Then Robby got in and Hoover started swinging him. Robby wasn’t really holding on. And at the very highest point, Robby fell out on his face onto the brick floor. One of his teeth chipped in half. Then his whole lip swelled up. I wanted to laugh at first, then it became serious. The next day Hoover and Vicki Gleeson sat in the same hammock and the rope broke (laughs).

MANNY: The hammock was possessed. So what do you have going now? Are you in school or working?

MADY: I’m taking a little time off from school. My parents aren’t too stoked about it. I’ve been in Hawaii for a month, I got back from Puerto, and I just got a job working at Bath and Body Works with Harry Antipala’s wife. And I’m also doing these movie previews. We show little clips of a movie and then we ask people questions about it. My particular favorite is “The Jerk.”

MANNY: What have you got planned for 1996?

MADY: I’m going to Japan to compete. And that’s what I’ll be doing all year, traveling to competitions and photo shoots.

MANNY: Sponsors?

MADY: Toobs, Roxy, Wavelength and Viper.

MANNY: What are your feelings on women bodyboarding?

MADY: It is definitely growing. Last year was our first world tour. I’m a little bummed on the organization of the meetings I attended in Hawaii. If everyone could come together with a common goal, the sport would definitely move forward, faster.

MANNY: Any words to the world?

MADY: No fear unless when you’re crossing the street.

Originally published in Bodyboarder International Magazine, Vol 6, #4

“I Like See!”
By Neal Miyake

Everyone has magical sessions. Let me tell you about one of mine.

It was the summer of 1982, a banner season as far as south shore surf was concerned. I had just graduated from high school, and that summer proved to be a turning point in my obsession for bodyboarding.
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This letter was published in Bodyboarder International Magazine – Holiday Issue 1991 Letters section:

Dear BIM

The image of Hard-core Bodyboarders has been changing since the first bodyboard was made. Where once it was Hard-core to be one of the few bodyboarders in the lineup, it has changed to being Hard-core by pure riding ability and attitude.

The top professionals of today are pushing contest riding through the roof, packing as many killer moves as possible into every ride. They spread the Hard-core image in the magazines, on television and to the sponsors. But the largest percentage of HC bodyboarders are the local rippers at every spot, all over the world, and the number of good riders are growing daily.
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Watch this space for article reprints from the Original BIM! Here you’ll find BIM Classic articles from contributors such as Neal Miyake, Pat Caldwell, and many more!