Surfing Soapbox: Mexican resort offers a little slice of heaven

Greetings Laguna Beach from Punta Mita, Mexico, where I have been visiting for the past week. I’ve been staying at the St. Regis here, helping the resort develop a new program titled “Surf with a Pro,” set to launch this spring break. It will be offered to beginning through advanced surfers alike.

Outside my window is a sparkling, crystal clear ocean with a slight offshore and a 2- to 3-foot peeling right.

Not a soul or surfer in sight.

However, I plan on changing that once I finish writing my column.

I’ve been amazed at how good the waves are such a short distance away from the resort, and looking outside right now it would be hard to distinguish whether I was in Hawaii, Tahiti or Punta Mita.

It is that beautiful here, and the grounds are simply amazing. I’m not sure what heaven is like, but staying here at the St. Regis has to come close to it.

The other day I was picked up on the beach and taken surfing by boat, which is the best transportation to these surfing breaks, considering the rocky shoreline and factoring in the odd sea urchin to look out for. But what good surfing wave doesn’t come with that?

It’s really unbelievable how many different types of breaks there are here. They even have their own version of Waikiki, and I surfed a wave that reminded me of a similar wave on the island of Huhine, Tahiti — well, without the top-to-bottom barrel.

It’s been an unbelievable trip.

I was sitting at the pool the other day after surfing, completely mesmerized by the sight and sound of the fountain flowing into the pool. Not a soul around, not even a cloud in the sky.

I paused for a moment, looked up toward the empty blue sky, tipped my ice-cold Bohemia and said, “Thank you God, thank you very much.”

Peace.

JAMES PRIBRAM is a Laguna Beach native, professional surfer and John Kelly Environmental Award winner. His websites include AlohaSchoolofSurfing and ECOWarrior Surf.com. He can be reached at Jamo@Aloha SchoolofSurfing.com