Evan Geiselman, (With Kolohe Andino in Foreground), Baja, Mexico

Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California. Punch across the border and you’ll likely trim down the lineup crowds by nine tenths – the border-cross is a clever art, not to be taken lightly but definitely worth while, especially if there’s a big swell. Evan Geiselman and Kolohe Andino know the treasures that lay beyond the border. Recently they scored some heaving beaches down there during a two-day snatch-n’-grab run. The Trans-Baja highway, introduced in ’73, opened the place up considerably, but lack of free camping and aforementioned border control keeps the numbers low. To get there, peeps generally take the main San Diego freeway through Tijuana. After a quick tequila stop, it’s onward toward Ensenada and the glory of the Pacific Ocean. And as you can see above, glorious it is indeed.