Puerto Escondido is officially open for business.
The first major South Pacific swell of the season has officially reached Mexico’s famed “Mexican Pipeline,” transforming Playa Zicatela into a war zone of towering barrels, brutal hold-downs, and some of the heaviest surf seen (so far) this season. The same swell that ignited Teahupo’o in Tahiti before marching through Hawaii has now arrived in Mexico, and the footage coming out of Puerto Escondido has been nothing short of spectacular.
Among those in the lineup was Nathan Florence, who documented the experience in his latest vlog. Florence went full survival mode during the strike mission—a fitting assessment for a day when simply making it back to the lineup felt like an accomplishment.
Puerto isn’t called the Mexican Pipeline for nothing.
In his video, Florence battles relentless cleanup sets, heavy paddle-outs, and the kind of detonating beachbreak barrels that have made Zicatela one of the most feared waves on Earth. Previous sessions from the trip showed him getting repeatedly rag-dolled on the inside, describing the punishment as taking countless waves on the head and leaving him “brain-dead” after hours of survival surfing.
Related: Tahiti’s Season Just Opened With 20-Foot Bombs at Teahupo’o. The Photos Are Unreal.
According to longtime Puerto Escondido photographer and local expert Edwin Morales, the swell was pushing into the 20-foot range, producing “perfect peaks” and “heavy tubes” as some of the world’s best big-wave surfers descended on town. Nathan and Ivan Florence, Greg Long, Tom Lowe, and a host of local chargers were among those hunting the biggest barrels.
And then there was Tom Lowe.
The British big-wave specialist’s latest ride from the swell has already entered the conversation for ride of the year. Lowe somehow threaded an enormous Zicatela cavern, disappearing behind a curtain of spray before emerging from one of the most intimidating barrels seen all season.
What’s next? This may just be the beginning.
Forecasters are tracking additional South Pacific storms lining up behind this opening pulse. More swell is expected to hit Tahiti, Hawaii, Mexico, and eventually California over the coming weeks.
Summer has officially arrived in the Pacific—and Puerto Escondido just reminded everyone why it’s one of the most gorgeous, yet terrifying, waves on the planet.
Related: 50-Foot Seas Fuel Rogue Wave Chaos in Hawaii (Video)
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