Paddling Is For Peasants

Southern California is not known for hollow surf, and its inhabitants are generally opposed to 4+ mm thick neoprene.

As a result, Southern Californians who enjoy spending time inside of waves (not all do, and that’s fine) often venture down to Mexico, where spinning funnels in bath-warm waters abound.

Back in the day, it was all about Puerto. Then the points. But now, surfers have fixed their gaze on a less crowded, more freewheeling beachie somewhere deep in Oaxaca.

The main reason? This place allows the use of jetskis in the lineup, so now anyone with a Wavestorm and a couple thousand pesos can pack a 10-foot keg.

Say what you will about those who straddle rather than paddle, but if the goal is to get more comfortable in large (and particularly hollow) waves, repetition is key. And there’s no way to get more reps than stepping off the back of ski, S-turning into a sand-bottomed cavern, getting blown out and hopping back on the sled to catch the third wave of the set.

For Ladybird stars Caity Simmers and Bella Kenworthy, this trip served as a comfort-building exercise for the thousands of oversized tubes they’ll get throughout their careers. Love to see it.