When most surfers think Cabo, they think about one thing – right pointbreaks. The three distinct capes that give the Los Cabos region its name are rife with fun, zippy right-handers from the heavily trafficked Zippers that hosts the Los Cabos Open every year to less-explored waves. Over the decades as Cabo San Lucas has grown from a small fishing village to a popular tourist destination, stereotypes of the region as party-central have stuck more than a pair of flip-flops on the floor at Squid Roe. Last month, though, I had an incredible opportunity to see a different side of Cabo that’s quite literally headed in a different direction.
Monuments Beach in many ways is a contradiction in Cabo. Located between the raucous nightlife of Cabo San Lucas and the sleepier town of San Jose del Cabo, it boasts the only view of the famed Cabo Arch. It’s also one of the few lefts, if not the only one, around. Overlooking the beach is the über-modern Cape Hotel – who were kind enough to host me for my stay. And the wave is visible – stadium style – from virtually every corner of the hotel. The walls and ceiling of the breezeway/entrance is painted an understated black so as not to distract from the bright crystalline backdrop of the Sea of Cortez, Monuments, and the arch in the distance, Raquel Almada from The Cape told me.
Recently, The Cape hosted the first-ever Ultimate Waterman’s Challenge – brainchild of Tim Curran and Cabo-local Alex Vidal. According to Vidal, the idea came about two years ago, when Curran expressed interest in some sort of multiple-sport event to highlight the ocean-loving community in Cabo, emphasize the place’s natural beauty, and most importantly give back. After some careful planning and backing from the local community and brands like Quiksilver, the inaugural Ultimate Waterman’s Challenge included a U.S. vs. Mexico surf exhibition including the likes of Rob Machado, Damien Hobgood, and Mexican pros Diego Cadena and champion SUPer Fernando Stalla, a SUP showcase, spearfishing, an underwater beach cleanup, opportunities for local youth to compete, and all to raise money for a local organization working with youth with disabilities.
Good vibes flowed all weekend – assisted during nighttime hours by a steady stream of mezcal cocktails that were too good to pass up. And a swell slowly filled in offering head high, rippable lefts all around.
Between the contest and the venue, the trip defied what I think most might envisage as the neon-tinted Cabo where tequila flows like wine. The Cape, for instance, pays homage to the natural beauty of Cabo, as I mentioned, but is rich with detail that both honors Mexican tradition and invokes a new style. “You know the Xoloitzcuintli, right?” Raquel Almada asked me on a guided tour of the space the day I arrived. “Yeah, like the Tijuana soccer team?” I responded. “Exactly,” she said. “But Xolos were the hairless dogs of the Aztecs, so they occupy an important place in Mexican heritage. Anyway, there’s a table in every room with a Xolo on it that just hints at the hotel’s attention to detail and wanting to have a modern feel that’s uniquely Mexican.” Sure enough, when I got back to my room, I found the Xolo table.
One morning I snuck down to breakfast and ran into Tim Curran who was finishing up his food and invited me to sit with him. We were chatting about the event so far, and he was pumped. “Looks like there are waves on the way, and we’re psyched to be able to do something for the community here,” he said. “And we’re already thinking about how we can make next year even bigger and better.”
As often as surfing is an escape for most from the world around us, being in Mexico it was impossible to ignore the good vibes on the ground that stood in stark contrast to political rhetoric in the US and Mexico. Still, for one weekend, I found it refreshing to remove myself from the news and watch real-life surf diplomacy happen before my eyes – Mexican kids surfing in an event in front their Mexican and American heroes. Pros from both sides of the border hooting each other into waves. And high fives all around. The “challenge” of the event was really in name alone. Winners and losers were decided in the US vs. Mexico exhibition, sure, but in the end it didn’t really matter.
During the closing ceremony, Alex Vidal told a story that distilled the event for me. The day before, he explained, the athletes all had a dinner on the roof of the hotel with some of the kids from the local organization that would ultimately receive a sizable donation when the UWC concluded. One kid in particular, who happened to be blind, asked Diego Cadena if he’d teach him to surf next year. Diego promised him he would, said Alex, and he intends to keep his promise.
Editor’s note: Shortly after covering the Ultimate Waterman’s Championship, we got word that Tropical Storm Lidia ripped through the Cabo region leaving damage in its wake. Our thoughts are with those affected.
