Playa Zicatela

Past the Marinero rocks [1] you enter Mexico’s hallowed ground of surfing, Playa Zicatela. The wide beach, of fine golden-white sand, stretches south for miles to a distant cliff and point. The powerful Pacific swells arrive unimpeded, crashing to the sand with awesome, thunderous power.

Both surfers and nonsurfers congregate year-round, waiting for the renowned Escondido “pipeline,” where grand waves curl into whirling liquid tunnels, which expert surfers skim through like trains in a subway. At such times, the spectators on the beach outnumber the surfers by as much as 10 or 20 to one.

Don’t try surfing or swimming at Zicatela unless you’re an expert.