Puerto Escondido designated World Surfing Reserve

A hidden gem nary longer, Puerto Escondido has been selected arsenic the 14th World Surfing Reserve — a prestigious rubric that acknowledges the area’s world-class waves and ecological significance.

Situated successful the confederate portion of Oaxaca state, Puerto Escondido has a coastline that features 8 unsocial waves and immoderate of the champion formation breaks successful the world, including Playa Zicatela and Punta Colorada.

Surfers enactment up arsenic a large swell rolls into Playa Zicatela, 1 of Puerto Escondido’s astir celebrated waves. (Edwin Morales/Save the Waves)

The interruption astatine Zicatela, often referred to arsenic the “Mexican Pipeline,” includes almighty and accordant waves that are regarded arsenic a treasure successful the surfing world.

The 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) agelong designated for the grant was selected by the Save The Waves Coalition, a 24-year-old planetary nonprofit dedicated to protecting surf ecosystems astir the globe. The caller presumption is expected to beryllium officially bestowed successful aboriginal 2026.

“Puerto Escondido reflects the quintessential surf ecosystem, unthinkable world-class waves, a biodiverse situation with important ecosystems for coastal resilience, and a agreed assemblage consenting and capable to support the spot they love,” Save The Waves CEO Nik Strong-Cvetich said successful a property release.

Beyond Puerto Escondido’s much-loved waves, the coastal ecosystems of Zicatela and Colorada person critically important terrestrial and marine biodiversity that they host. For example, each serves arsenic a nesting situation for 3 oversea turtle species: olive ridley, achromatic and the critically endangered leatherback.

Nearby mangrove forests astatine Punta Colorada and Laguna de Chacahua National Park supply habitats for iguanas, crocodiles and different wildlife, playing a important relation successful h2o filtration, flood prevention and c storage.

The database of World Surfing Reserves includes Isla Todos Santos, a big-wave interruption located connected an land 12 miles disconnected the seashore of Ensenada successful Baja California.

Not to beryllium confused with the charming coastal municipality of Todos Santos successful Baja California Sur,  the world-class surfing spot (sometimes called Bahía de Todos Santos) is known for its legendary waves and a big-wave surfing contention (which it is called lone if the waves are large enough).

It became a World Surfing Reserve successful 2014, 5 years aft the programme was launched. Many of the list’s locations play big to events connected the World Surf League’s top-level Championship Tour, which successful 2025 has a Mexican competing for the archetypal clip ever: 22-year-old Alan Cleland Quiñonez of Colima.

Alan Cleland Quiñonez of Colima is the archetypal Mexican to vie successful the World Surf League’s Championship Tour. (Conade)

The different places connected the Reserve database are Malibu and Santa Cruz successful California; Ericeira successful Portugal; the Gold Coast, Manly and Noosa successful Australia; Punta de Lobos successful Chile, Playa Hermosa successful Costa Rica; Huanchaco successful Peru; Guarda bash Embaú successful Brazil; North Devon successful the United Kingdom; and Oriente Salvaje successful El Salvador.

The designation does not supply contiguous ineligible protection, but encourages the enactment of a section assembly to negociate semipermanent conservation strategies, often starring to ineligible safeguards.

Save The Waves has already been moving for respective years with assemblage members successful Puerto Escondido, which has a colonisation of astir 30,000. The conjugation has projected a extortion strategy for the mangrove ecosystem astatine Punta Colorada, addressed ongoing h2o prime and sewage issues, and sought retired solutions to the soil travel and erosion issues astatine Zicatela.

They are besides looking astatine however to support turtle nests, curb overdevelopment and rise awareness. The purpose is to equilibrium tourism maturation with biology stewardship, ensuring that Puerto Escondido’s waves and ecosystems thrive for aboriginal generations.

“Zicatela is not conscionable a beach. It is our identity, our history, our life,” section bodyboarder and assemblage person Humberto “Beto” Olivera said successful the online level Surfer Today.  “Being recognized arsenic a World Surfing Reserve is an honor, but besides a responsibility. Celebration is not capable — we indispensable sphere our waves and everything they represent.”

Coco Nogales, 48, a nonrecreational surfer who was calved successful Aguascalientes and raised successful Mexico City earlier yet moving to Puerto Escondido, added: “Saving the question of Zicatela would not lone payment Puerto Escondido, but besides bring Playa Zicatela backmost to life.

“It is heartbreaking to spot the deterioration the question and the formation person suffered implicit the past decade. Obtaining the World Surfing Reserve designation [is] a large measurement toward restoring its prestige and reclaiming its spot among the apical 10 waves successful the world.”

With reports from Surfer Today, Infobae, Diario AS and Duke Surf