Mercedes surfing Puerto Escondido © by Edwin Morales

I just finished a nine day trip to Puerto Escondido. On the first three days that I arrived, the waves at Zicatela were closing out and the direction on of the swell wasn’t favoring it. So I headed walking to La Punta to get some exercise and each of those days I got to surf super fun lefts.
On the fourth day of my trip there was a new and bigger swell of about 8 feet, but the conditions were really ugly, just huge closeouts. I was sitting in the beach checking the waves along with local pro surfer Oscar Moncada and photographer Edwin Morales.  With them, there was a crew of three people filming for a television show for Czech Republic. The TV show is about discovering new cultures around the world and they were showing the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. They were looking for surfers to film, but the waves weren’t cooperating, so they came up with the idea of going to a great point break a few hours from Zicatela. One hour later, I became a part of the mission and we were driving with the TV crew and Oscar. Let me tell you, in case you haven’t met Oscar yet: what a funny character he is! His larger than life personality and love for the ladies made us all laugh during the whole day. Oscar represents Mexico as its purest: vibrant, colorful, expressive and all around nice guy.

With Oscar Moncada in the boat to the lagoons

The Zcech Republic TV crew

The crew used the opportunity to film at a Natural Reserve that was on the way to the surf break. We went through the most beautiful lagoons, that hold thousand of birds of different species including eagles, seagulls, gray herons and pelicans among hundreds of other protected species.

The amazing pink heron

Mercedes and two local kids

On our way we stopped in a tiny fishing town of eighty inhabitants. We spent some time talking to the locals and learning a little bit about their lives.  They shared with us that most of all the inhabitants of the town were fisherman and that’s where they income came from. Men and women fish in their hand made wooden canoes, through the lagoons that merge with the sea. One of the fisherman was Felix. He was knitting his own fishing net by hand. The work was a piece of intricate art: thousands of rectangles overlapping  each other shaping a web pattern. He told us that it takes him two months to finish each fishing net. He makes them just for his personal use as a tool for his work and he doesn’t sell them.

Felix knitting his fishing net

The lagoons

Life in that town seemed relaxed. There were hammocks  everywhere with men taking naps and children playing with no toys but  using nature to their advantage, playing hide and seek and climbing tress.

Kids from the fishing town

After we visited the town we went straight to the surf spot. The tide was perfect and Oscar and I surfed some of the longest waves I ever surfed in my life. There were only 4 people out aside from us, and slowly they started to return to the beach. The waves were big for that spot, it was maxed out. I got caught by sets many times and for the first time in years, when I found myself with no one around me for hundreds of yards, I wanted to have someone close to me! Two years ago I got chased by a shark in that place, so  my mind wasn’t too comfortable with the idea of being left alone there.  All in all, some of those waves made my trip. The highlight of the day was after surfing:  we ate a grilled fresh fish with the freshest tomato salad I ever had. Mexicans know how to enjoy the good pleasures of life! Food and naps and having a good time!

The beautiful lagoons of the Natural Reserve

The following days Zicatela started to turn on. It took a couple of days to get the waves to break with good shape instead of big closeout walls. There were two days that had one of the best Puerto I ever seen: six foot of heavy, perfect open barrels everywhere. It’s funny how heavy the waves are in Zicatela. When they get to six foot plus, there is so much power, energy and force in the water, that I really had to stretch myself out of my comfort zone. I realized that Puerto is a wave that I rather surf smaller than bigger.  On those nice days I got a few waves, although nothing really amazing, but I’ve seen people like Coco Nogales and other locals charging as if they were no big deal.

Zicatela power

All in all, this trip to Puerto was great for me.I learned about other cultures with a little bit more of depth, got to see new species of birds for the first time and enjoyed amazing waves and the great food from one of the most vibrant places I’ve ever been.

Everyday a beautiful end of the day in Puerto Escondido

Aloha,
Mercedes

Surfing Puerto Escondido

So excited to had been featured in the Patagonia 2012 Surf Catalog! The photo was taken by Edwin Morales on a really fun day at Puerto Escondido, Mexico.

Aloha!

Mercedes :)

I just been featured in Golden Ride Magazine from Germany in an article about women’s big wave surfing! Along myself were also with Maya, Jamilah, Easkey and Savannah. I wish I could read German, because the article is 9 pages long!

Aloha!

Mercedes :)

Golden Ride, Germany

What happens when fear takes over and I decide not to make the drop? I miss a great experience with the wave, but I also learn a lot about myself. I learn that my instinct knows better than my mind. I know that preserving myself in dangerous situations is crucial to stay alive.

There is a fine line between doing the leap of faith and choosing not to do it. It is what I call risk management. I assess the conditions of the ocean, the crowd in the water, the power, shape and direction of the wave. I know what to do in case that everything goes bad, I know how the currents work if I have to swim back to the beach. I know all that because I researched, studied and had the experience for many years. I do my work, put the time and then I take action. The action might be to take the drop into the wave of my life or to avoid an injury or fatality if the wave doesn’t seem right.

I have all the information inside of me, but when the time comes to decide, it’s all in nanoseconds. Turning around and paddling for the wave is a choice from my gut.

Even though I might have all the risks assessed, I may still wipeout and face new, scary situations. When that happens, the only way to preserve my oxygen reserve, it’s to remain calm. I take on single step at a time to get myself back into safety. Then I review why I fell, what happened in the wave or what I did with my board and body stance and I take notes. I re-play the situation in my mind, learn from it and figure out how to make it better next time.

So next time fear is holding you back, next time you have to make an important decision, just stop for a minute. Pause and take a few deep breaths. Ask yourself, what really feels good inside right now? Ask for your inner guidance to show you the answer. You will have to go inside to an inner place of silence to listen to that voice inside that knows whats’s best for you: it could be to pull back or to make the drop of your life. And remember, if you wipeout, there is always a next wave to be had.

In Loving Abundance,

To learn more please vist us at www.beyondthenextstep.com

Mercedes and Kelsie are offering for a limited time a 1st Skype coaching session for FREE!

Contact us at: info@beyondthenextstep.com for more information!

Features in Argentina's women's mag, Vanidades

De Sol a Sol Capitulo 06 from Patagonia Chile on Vimeo.

In loving,
Mercedes :)

Hope you like it! :)

Photo taken in Aica by Rodrigo Farias Moreno