Surf City (Not)

Surfing the 'dangerous' waves of Nuevo Vallarta...

The beach near our resort wasn't ideal for surfing. The waves were large enough, but they curled and collapsed too quickly for any decent runs.

Still, anything is better than nothing, so I looked forward to getting on the water. It turned out to be an exercise in frustration. The local beach authority red flags the beaches anytime there is a hint of surf. The rental cabanas are not allowed to rent out gear when that happens. By West Coast standards the waves that rolled in would barely have earned a shrug from local surfers.

I did manage to get out for one morning for a few hours on an unbalanced paddle board with a too-long paddle. At one point I glanced down to see four stingrays swimming along beside me.

"Mental note," I thought. "DO NOT fall in the stingrays." It was a good incentive to make sure I stayed on the board.

A few days on the beach we witnessed a young girl being evacuated by ambulance. She had somehow been stung in the face by a stingray. There was a fair amount of blood that we could see, but otherwise she seemed okay.