Waves Of Baja
By Annie and Chris McNeil
Wave Clinic,
Baja, San Carlos, September-October, 2000
There is
nothing more beautiful on this earth than nature. That is what I'm thinking as I lay half
awake listening to the pounding surf and feeling the delicate morning breeze play with the
tent. My husband lies still and warm beside me. Looking outside the tent's opening I see
nothing but blue, blue jeweled water and limitless blue sky. A squadron of pelicans takes
turns dive bombing the surface of the ocean scooping up beak fulls of fish for breakfast.
The waves, peaking and peeling, are indescribably beautiful. Reeling in perfect lines,
smooth faced and standing up for what seems like forever before conceding to break. The
side offshore wind is kissing the tops off the waves making little rainbows in their
spray. The day is setting up for incredible conditions. We're in San Carlos, Baja. This
stretch of coast faces south for full exposure to the southern hemisphere's storm
generated ground swells that pump in all summer long. During the winter swells come from
the north brewing near the Aluetian Islands offshore from Alaska. Pulses whip off the eye
of storms and barrel down the continental coast wrapping around an arm of land that
reaches out west of the beach. Extensive shelves of shale line the shore creating the most
rideable waves in the world. Ground swells generated from thousands of miles away in the
southern and northern hemis motor in to find a gradual change in the gradient of the shale
bottom. It's this change in the bottom that determines how and when a wave breaks. As a
swell pulses in the progressively shallower shelf forces the swell to stand up and then
collapse due to the earth's gravitational pull. If the depth change is sudden and extreme
the wave becomes steep and pitching whereas in the case of San Carlos the depth change is
slow and gradual creating a long standing wave, perfect for making endless turns down the
line.
My husband stirs and pulls me to him. As we hold each other surrounded by the sound of
crumbling waves it is easy to rediscover the origin of our couple and we are eighteen all
over again. The morning light intensifies as the white molten sun bounces off the horizon
and pretty soon our senses are inundated with the aroma of hot steaming java.The
anticipated excitement of the day sets in. We stumble out of our tent and before us lies
an expansive camp. 20 tents are neatly arranged, dotting a tennis court sized carpet
covered tarp that effectively keeps the desert dust down. To the north of the tents lies a
small gear shop, cook's trailer, a rec room complete with ping pong table and video
viewing equipment. All the structures are connected to block the predominant Northwest
winds. Farther down there is rack after rack of rental and complimentary toys including
hitech mountain bikes, surf boards, the latest in windsurfing gear with sails rigged and
ready to go. Finally, a half dozen solar hot water shower stalls and the tool/repair shop.
There is no doubt that we are camping in sophisticated luxury! Not more than 24 hours
earlier my husband, Chris, and I had been transported from the world of cluttered
highways, mega mall complexes and fast food chains. Our daily lives filled with kids,
work, obligations and responsibilities. Chris baring the toughest role between us is a
doctor of dental surgery, in other words, a dentist. Dentists in general hold the highest
suicide rate among professionals. This is indicative of the pressures they work under.
Being his life partner and working at his office I can understand and sympathize with him,
witnessing firsthand the intense pressures he is assaulted with on a daily basis. That's
why his fun time is so critical. A much needed release from the real world.
Kevin Trejo, the creator and big Kahuna of Solo Sports, met us and seven other avid
windsurfers signed up for the trip, in San Diego to escort our group south of the border
deep into the isolated depths of Baja. Our goal's destination- to windsurf and surf our
brains out! San Carlos is one third of the way down the Baja peninsula on the Pacific
Coast. Kevin is a big, burley bear huggable guy. He greets each one of us with his
customary easy going manner and we immediately relax for the day long journey that lies
ahead. The brand new extended van, stocked with snacks and cooler filled drinks is air
conditioned and plush. We cross the border with ease and wind our way past barren town
after town hugging the sea. The buildings rising out of sand and dirt. Once in a while, we
could catch glimpses of surfers sitting among pumping peaks. For lunch Kevin stops high on
a cliff with a Peregrins view, so high that the ocean is dwarfed below, giving an
encompassing view of a rocky island and the reknowned Todos Santos just off the coast.
Todos Santos has one of the biggest makable waves in the world and is described as "a
thick concentrated peak, steep drop into a fast muscle wall". It rates up there with
Northern California's Mavericks and Maui's Jaws. We sit and begin to munch on homemade
deli sandwiches and drink ice cold beer. The dense amber liquid slides smoothly past my
tongue and throat, while the view overcomes me with curiosity. I ask Kevin "vente
preguntas"(20 questions) about the famous surf spot, ending with the question,
"Kevin, what was the biggest wave you've ever ridden at Todos Santos? "Kevin
thinks for a moment and then replies without any emotion, "Oh, a 30 foot face I
guess." A silence falls among us as we ponder the thought of paddling into and
committing to a drop in front of a heaving mountain. Kevin Trejo is a skilled mountain
biker, wave sailor and surfer. Born and raised in Laguna Beach, Kevin surfed competitively
and was ranked 2nd for four years in a row throughout high school. This is my 4th trip
with Solo and during a trip 3 years previous we were rocked with a visit from Hurricane
Nora. Nora was spinning offshore when she decided to pay us an unexpected visit. Her eye
coming an estimated 6 to 25 miles from our camp. Although, living through the hurricane at
the ocean's edge was terrifying for a night, Nora brought with her some phenomenal
conditions. I watched Kevin as he pulled into double overhead barrels, slicing up faces
with graceful cutbacks and sweeping arcs, carving rooster tails off the tops and getting
covered, pulling out of the barrel, hitting the lip and floating down, all to do it over
again further down the line!
Back at camp,
on this first day of our trip, Chris and I wolf down breakfast, and pull on our wetsuits
so we can surf before the wind picks up to full strength. Longboards are the call and we
spend a few precious hours dancing in harmony with the waves. We emerge from the sea
rejuvenated and ready to pack in some grinds. A huge spread of deli meats, vedgies and
fresh fruit is waiting for us to dive into. During this trip Kevin has arranged to have
retired pro windsurfer Sierra Emory host a wave sailing clinic for Solo's guests.
Ironically, Sierra is anything but retired. Born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands Sierra
has many projects going on from modelling, movie stunt work, extreme surfing, windsurfing
and kitesurfing for various sports programs and seeking out mountains to tow into with his
buddies on the North Shore of the Islands. It is not uncommon to see him towing into a
monster, 8 story wave, at Jaws. Even so, I was skeptical about taking another wave sailing
clinic. Although, Chris had been windsurfing and surfing regularly for over 25 years I had
only taken windsurfing seriously for the past 6 seasons and was not baptized by ocean
waves until 3 years ago. My virgin experience in waves had taken place in San Carlos 3
years earlier while taking an excellent wave clinic with Chris Wyman. Since then my life's
obligations in the real world had limited my down the line wave sailing days to a handful
at best. Insecure, I felt like I needed more time sailing in the waves before receiving
more instruction. But then, the moment Chris and I were introduced to Sierra we knew we
wanted to be a part of his clinic.
After lunch,
our group gathers on the tarp and Sierra gives us a pep talk. It's difficult to pay
attention as the wind whips and the waves roll in. Adrenaline is surging and Sierra
doesn't take long, sensing our excitement to get on the water. He ends by saying,
"Just get out there and have a great day, then we'll see what your level is and begin
more serious individual and group instruction tomorrow." Like horses at a starting
gate we lunge for the water. At 210#, Chris chooses RRD 8'8" wave board, and 5.5m
Naish Edge sail. At 110#, I choose to take my 8.0 Quatro wave board and a 4.0 Hot Fusion
sail. We bash and slash, ripping up lips and charging for all we're worth. Sierra joining
us in the fun flashing his white smile, "sonrisa de diablo", a devilishly
handsome smile. He was showing us what was possible even on a waist to shoulder high wave
by tearing it up, making huge spray, getting vertical and popping little aerials off the
tops. It is such a fantastic day! The session leaves me fully sated and bone tired. I look
down at my tender hands to see oozing blood filled blisters and still, I couldn't wait to
do it all again the next day.
As the sun
finds the watery horizon and the sky becomes magenta blue and we all gather around to
drink beer and listen to each others stories from the day. Each one of us at different
levels. Atilla an upbeat philosophical soul surfer was the most experienced among us
having Wadell and Davenport in his backyard. Doug and Marty from the San Francisco Bay
area had a few wave days. Doug was definitely the FUN instigator in the group. He
surprised us with his many interests, and undaunted attitude, fully going for it and
getting worked. One could see that before long Doug was going to be the one working the
ocean, not the other way around. Marty a, strapping quiet man was charging 9 footers on
the final day.Mark a gentle, encouraging force had made many visits to San Carlos in the
past and definitely knew the program. Finally, Roger and Steve, hardcore Gorge sailors
were relative first timers in the waves but still charged it, even on the macking final
days. As we became acquainted the sizzling aromas from fresh lobster and steak assaulted
our senses and pretty soon we're sitting down to another fantastic spread. Tequila, cards
and ping pong are the games of choice to top off the perfect evening. Doug starts up a
drinking game of Hearts. The game heats up and we all laugh as Atilla gets blasted with
the Queen, over and over again! He had to drink a few shots for messing up so bad and was
getting pretty silly.
Stumbling into my tent after a lot of fun and little too much tequila I sprawl out and
recount the days session in my mind. We had sailed the peaks in front of our camp, but my
personal goal was to be able to sail The Point. Only the best guys sailed The Point. The
Point lies south, denoted by an outcropping of rocky shale spilling into a small bay
beyond. Set waves wrap around in fanlike succession. A beautiful right holds a stiff half
pipe perfect for several S-turns. On larger days the wave connects to an inside section
that A frames, breaking left and right. A good sailor can hit the lip of the left, boost
air and then sail around the whitewater making more turns down the line before the wave
closes. A wavesailor's dream. I had seen Chris Wyman snap 5 house sized aerials off of
just one wave. My reservations about sailing The Point revolved around the knowledge that
there were pinball rocks on the inside that the inexperienced could get caught in. I know
this because I had
been a pinball there once. During my last visit I was determined to sail The Point and
upon my final day, late in the afternoon I set out. The downwind journey did not go as I
had expected when the wind dropped off to zero. On a head high day without big lulls
between sets I began to swim my gear in. Swimming in above The Point I could see that the
tide was very high and that there were no beaches that I could land in, only a tiny cove
preceding The Point, which if missed, would mean another long swim into unknown territory
consisting of a bay with only rocks and cliffs in my vision. It was critical to make that
cove so I swam hard and refused to let go of my gear. Exhausted from fighting a
substantial longshore current pulling me past the point into the rocky bay, I was able to
barely make the cove when all of a sudden I looked back to see an overhead set pick me and
my gear up, rip it out of my hands, fling me against a rocky ledge like a rag doll and pin
me under my sail. Luckily, I was in one piece and my new custom board only had three dime
sized holes in it. The experience made me wary of trying to go down to the point on my
own.
As the week
progressed there was rumor of a swell arriving. We wake up to see the waves rolling in
with more frequency and more juice. I walk out to Chris who stands looking off the bluff.
As I approach he takes hold of my hand. "Looks like a good swell, I bet the point is
breaking. Maybe today is the day?" I swallow hard and breath in the misty ocean spray
thinking ya, maybe today is the day. I don't know if Sierra sensed my goal but it made me
feel great when he came up to Chris and I and asked, "You guys want to sail The Point
with me?" I hesitated and replied, "I'm kind of worried about sailing there,
will it be okay?" Sierra let me know with confidence that I would be okay, he'd be
there with me, and that he could tell that I had the ability. With that, I knew deep down
that he was right. I was ready. I don't know why I felt so at ease around Sierra. I really
trusted him, plus, he's a blast to sail with! I have only known a few mentors that were
able to inspire the belief that I could reach beyond myself to accomplish anything I set
my mind to. To reach for the stars. That's how Sierra was. We learned so much from him. He
easily taught the group, as well as spent quality time with each individual. He sailed
with us to better observe and help us in the moment and even though I was camera shy, his
daily use of the video camera became invaluable for his instruction.
After rigging gear for another 20mph day, we take off together, Atilla joining us, down to
The Point. Those guys make it down there before me and as I get closer I look back to see
a dark shadow welling up. Positioning myself in the pit the wave performs beautifully,
walling up overhead and I try to do the things that Sierra taught us. Stay high on the
wave and wait for it to get critical, then lean forward and swoop into a bottom turn while
moving the back hand on the boom for sheeting in hard. Set the rail and carve. Next,
flatten out the board to make it vertical and change rails at the top, moving the hands
together for sheeting out. Shred a top turn, or hit the lip for air time! Sierra was
smacking lips, boosting huge air and doing wave 360's in the bowly section of the
whitewater. We all took turns catching waves and hooting at each other. It was a personal
victory and extra fun sharing the milestone session with Chris, Sierra and Atilla. Thanks
Sierra for the support and encouragement.
I never did understand the negative connotations given to windsurfers and surfers. Labelled 'beach bums', implying laziness or other loser behavior. Maybe those ideas were born out of an old fashioned work ethic based on the need to make a lot of money. The people I know that spend time in the sea have a deep appreciation for nature and the gifts that it bestows. They are compassionate and concerned about our environment. I am inextricably tied to the water. It has enhanced every important aspect of my life, given me quality time with Chris and my children, given me a belief in myself, helped me overcome self-imposed limitations, kept my body and mind healthy and immersed me in the elemental beauty of our earth. Coming to San Carlos reminds me of these gifts and the natural pleasures this life can bring.