Words by Brad Domke:
During our two-month trip to Mainland Mexico, we spent a lot of time in Puerto Escondido and scored a couple pretty big days.
My friend Jamie Williams was kind enough to let me use his 8’6″ big wave gun that he’d left marinating. It definitely took me a little bit to figure the board out but once I did, the thing was magic. I personally love the feeling of riding big boards in big surf. It’s a world of its own for sure, especially compared to my usual stick: a finless, four-foot, less than an inch thick, skimboard. My good friend from Peru, Gabriel Villaran, was there on a good day, too, and he got this insane left that unfortunately injured his knee as he tried to exit. But thankfully he is all good now and back in the tube. My other friends Diego Cadena, Marcial Monreal, Alvaro Malpartida and Miguel Tudela got really good waves that are also featured in this episode.
Not only did we score the big summer swell, in the midst of waiting for the waves we decided to switch it up and try our luck at a Class III river rapid. Dylan fell out of the boat twice and one of the times that wasn’t captured on film he got pancaked underneath the raft for a solid few seconds before he surfaced — of course with a big smile and no worries. All in all, it was an epic experience and if you’ve never been river rafting I highly recommend it. It’s something everyone should experience if they’re able to.
