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So this shark thing is getting a little out of hand, and I promise some non-shark related posts after this one. The authorities in Mexico are taking the shark attacks very seriously (especially since the area is so dependent on tourism and surfer tourism). They’ve brought in the marines and the navy (the marines oddly had a strong presence when I was down there a month ago before the attacks in Troncones). From Reuters [link].

The response seems much more tempered and reasonable than their last response after the attack in April which was to go on a shark killing spree. And yes, the title suggesting a Jaws IV location in Zihuatanejo was a joke.

Reuters: The Mexican Navy searched for sharks in the ocean near Pacific surfing beaches on Monday, after two bathers were killed and another maimed in a rare spate of shark attacks.

Three boats and a helicopter patrolled the sea while Navy and rescue officials scanned the horizon with binoculars from popular beaches around the southwestern Mexican resort of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. They warned surfers not to go far out.

“We’ve been monitoring the beaches; we’ve done reconnaissance flights,” Rear Adm. Arturo Bernal said, adding that no big shark had been detected yet in the area.

A shark injured a 49-year-old American surfer Saturday, May 24, at Playa Linda in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. The attack is the third in one month in the area with a fatal attack on a Mexican surfer occurring a day earlier 20 minutes north near the beach resort area of Troncones. Adrian Ruiz, a surfer from San Francisco, was killed in an attack in April in Troncones. Authorities have not closed beaches in Zihuatanejo, but people were being advised against swimming.

Bruce Grimes, 49 from Florida, suffered minor injuries in the attack and managed to get to the hospital on his own.

“I felt something brush past me three times, scraping my skin like sandpaper. Then I saw a three-meter (10-foot) shark attacking my right arm,” Bruce Grimes told reporters after leaving the hospital Saturday.

Official blame the new influx of shark in the area on climate change.

“We brought shark specialists to the area and the first thing they said was that [sharks] could be because of cold water currents caused by climate change,” said Guerrero state’s environmental minister, Sabas de la Rosa. [Link to story]

Troncones, Mexico is officially the worst place to surf right now. Unfortunately, after the first attack in April there, local authorities responded by baiting and killing 12 sharks. It’s interesting that they blame climate change for sharp increase in shark attacks (Mexico hasn’t had a fatal shark attack in 30 years before the attack in April). I wrote a post a little while back on scientists linking increased shark attacks on global warming. I’m sure there will be a million theories on it, but it a troubling trend with three fatal attacks in one month.

The shark hunt by local authorities after the last hunt becomes particularly questionable after a recent report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature that more than half of the world’s shark are under threat of extinction.

Another surfers was killed in a shark attack in Mexico at Pantla Beach, 6 miles from Troncones where Adrian Ruiz was killed by a shark a month ago. Pantla Beach is 20 minutes North of Ixtapa. The attack on Ruiz was the first fatal shark attack in Mexico in 30 years.

Osvaldo Mata Valdovinos, 21, was attacked on Friday while surfing off Pantla beach west of Ixtapa and Zihuatenajo. The shark bit off his left hand and broke one of his legs. [Associated Press Link]

Mexican Authorities responded to the last attack a month ago by baiting and killing sharks in the area. Environmentalist deplored the tactics [link].

The map below shows where Pantla Beach is located in relation to Troncones and Ixtapa. Many of the news sources incorrectly reported the attack near Acapulco. Pantla Beach is approximately 100 miles west of Acapulco.

There’s always some sort of racket with car and truck rentals abroad. On my last trip to Zihuatanejo and Guerrero, Mexico, I rented a car through Orbitz and Thrifty for $200 for days. It was supposedly their full size car, Orbitz even offered third party insurance through Access America for $99 for the entire trip. 10 day car rental and insurance for $299 for ten days. Yes, too good to be true. We arrived, the car was a wreck (even though it was Thrifty), and they claimed they didn’t accept third party insurance. We drove the car off reluctantly after buying their insurance, hit one speed bump and the muffler came off. Somehow we were able to return it later that day and exchange for a truck without them realizing that the muffler was ruined.

What happens often in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and all these surf destinations that never happens here with rentals is bargaining, even with the big name brand companies like Thrifty, Avis, etc. Which is why I would recommend not reserving a car in advance. First off, you never really know what you’re getting, and secondly, you won’t be able to bargain and they’ll likely charge you extra for insurance claiming it wasn’t included. In most major destinations, they’ll have plenty of cars and trucks. By not reserving, in advance you’ll be able to check different vendors (more destinations also have non-brand label rentals also, cheaper and a bit sketchier) and work out the best deal.

Here’s a list of suggestions for dealing with rentals on surf trips:

1. Check to see if you need an international driver’s license for the destination (you can get one through the AAA office, they’re around $20). You don’t for Mexico and most of Central America.
2. Figure out in advance in you need a 4×4 or not. For lots of destinations, you don’t need one and they’re often more than twice as much.
3. Make sure to bring soft racks and straps with you on the trip.
4. Don’t book in advance unless it’s high season and likely to be busy at the destination. (Also, check into booking and then canceling the rental if you find a better deal).
5. Get prices from a couple different rental agencies at the airport, make sure they include full insurance coverage. Get prices also from third party rentals, often in pick-up area of airport.
6. Agree on price and contract. Also, make sure you get the best exchange rate or better yet, negotiate the price in local currency instead of dollars. On my last trip, I negotiated a better rate with the agent only to find out he gave me a 10% higher exchange rate.
7. Go over their insurance policy. Many agencies will have tiered levels of “full coverage” some of which have very high deductibles. Check the papers and make sure they’re in order, local police often will use any mistakes, etc to bribe you.
8. Visually inspect the car or truck very closely including the windshield and undercarriage. Make sure they have a spare and jack. Don’t rent car or trucks that look like they’re in bad shape.
9. Keep the paperwork in the car in a safe place.
10. Get contact numbers from the office in case of problem. Lots can and will go wrong. It’s a lot easier if you can contact their office directly.

Surf and art never seem to far apart. The beauty of surfing translates well to the artistic experience. Here’s a link to Ed Fladung’s blog Quality Peoples with links to art and surf and Ed’s random musing. “On a perpetual Mexican surfari,” something we’re all wishing for.

Some friends of mine are on a road trip South from California to Costa Rica. They’re surfing in Mexico and Nicaragua on the way down before hanging in Costa Rica for a few months. Check out their blog to follow them down (Surfari Collin).

I’m posting this from a tiny surf village in Michoacan, Mexico. Ah, the power of technology. I’m a week into my 10 surf trip to Guerrero and Michoacan, Mexico. We flew into Zihuatenajo and scored a solid South swell the first four days north of Zihuatenajo near Troncones. Troncones is a chill beach village with a couple of fun waves and a pounding beachbreak. We stayed at Manzanillo Bay in Troncones. From Troncones, there are a handful of breaks within driving distance, Saladita and The Ranch being the best ones. Saladita is a full, super-long left hand wave better on a fish or longboard. The Ranch is another left hander with better shape.

After the swell subsided, we packed up and headed north to Michoacan and the surf there. Look for a full review to come in the next few days. Great to be surfing in trunks again.

Got $4.3 million burning a hole in your pocket? Tied of cramped quarters on your last boat trip? Well, the Royal Pelagic is for sale and she will get you to Cortes Bank for the next 50 ft. swell in style. In fact, she can get you to Indonesia and back on one tank of fuel. She comes equipped with two 21 ft. tenders, six luxury cabins, three wave-runners, home theater, and enough luxuries to keep your girlfriend from getting bored on a surftrip. The Royal Pelagic may not be the prettiest yacht in the world, but I doubt you’ll be worried about that when you’re scoring empty desert breaks by yourself without worrying about crazed banditos ashore. She’s in need of a new owner and a new name. Unfortunately,the individuals most likely to afford this aren’t the surfers best able to put it to full use. It’s a cruel world.

I just booked a flight for April from Los Angeles (LAX) to Zihuatenajo (ZIH) for $316 round trip! It’s a 10 day trip, I’ll be exploring the breaks in the Ixtapa/Zihuatenajo area including: Playa Linda, La Saladita, the Ranch, Mahajua, Troncones, Playa Manzanillo, Escolleras, Juluchuca, La Barrita and Las Gatas, all within an hours drive of Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. Flights from San Francisco were similar price, and flights from New York were around $500.

Guerrero is well known for it’s beautiful beaches and good surf. Ixtapa is not exactly Cancun for the party scene, but there are supposed to be some fun bars and clubs. Here’s a more in depth description of the waves in Guerrero, Mexico. Surfing Guerrero

From what I’ve heard the area has excellent waves, with a variety of beach breaks and points, one exceptionally long.

Rental cars are around $10-20 a day as listed on Orbitz. Most of the waves are accessible without a 4×4, so we just rented a full sized car (not sure what that equates to in Mexico). There’s a variety of hotels and nightlife in Ixtapa. Manzanillo has two surf catered resorts: The Troncones Surf Club, and the Inn at Manzanillo Bay. Both are recommended and offer surfboard rentals.