30 Days of Riptides

It’s 4a.m. and as I crawl out of bed and shove the last of my gear into my bag before rushing out the door to catch my ride to the airport. Luckily, everything goes smoothly on the journey; surfboard bag check, quick security lines, no delays. I’m walking on a cloud... literally.

A couple days before the journey I’m weeding out the non-essentials. I’ve got thirty days of travel from Zihuatanejo along the Mexican coastline to Manzanillo and every ounce counts. Most of the space is reserved for my camera and a few items of clothing however, one question sits in my mind; do I really need a pair of sneakers or will my Riptides suffice?

Stop #1 Saladita

Saladita is one of the world’s best left pointbreaks for longboarding. If you know, you know. What you might not know is that the little village is filled with great local restaurants and lots of options for accommodation. Boats leave at first light every morning for fishing and surf charters which you’re going to actually help launch the boat off the beach into the ocean if that’s how you’ve planned your day. Almost everywhere is walkable along the beach which in my case isn’t the most convenient for really test-driving the Riptides however, if you’re needing to replenish groceries, feel like a quality coffee or want to hit Queen’s Bar for a little evening karaoke, you’ll want shoes for the 15 minute walk along the road out of town. The airflow and liteness qualities of the Riptides are perfect for these mid-day strolls and hot climates where you don’t want to lace anything up or, if you’re like me, hate flip flops. There are few places left in the world that have a respectable slow life vibe and Saladita is definitely one of them.

Stop #2 Barre de Nexpa

MANDATORY must have Riptides location. My first few days here I’d wake up with the crowds and paddle out to surf just to realize that the waves were almost just as good mid-day with way less people... you just had to cross the barren wasteland of molten hot sand to get there. Enter Riptides! Toss those wonders on and trudge like you’ve never trudged before. Leave ‘em on the beach near some sort of landmark (a stick or amateur sculpted group of rocks works nicely) and you’re surfing baby. It only took me half of one try to cross this zone mid-day in the blazing sun without footwear jumping from log to log and then sprinting short distances to rocks that were hopefully less hot than the sand.

Although most people come here to surf, almost everyone brought fishing gear. When the wind picks up–it’s time to fish. At sunset, the coastline will be littered with tourists and locals alike all casting from the beach taking swell up to the knees in hopes of catching dinner. A truly beautiful sight, and if I do say so myself, exactly what the Riptides are made for. Half of you reading this are thinking ‘you don’t need shoes to cast from the beach’ however, closer to the water the beach is not just sand but also irritatingly medium sized stones that are terrible to walk on barefoot. So yes, this is the perfect place to wear a pair of Riptides.

Stop #3 La Ticla

Besides being known as ‘the soul of Meixco’ the biggest charm of Michoacán is that foreigners aren’t permitted to own businesses or properties. In Ticla, this has allowed the locals to thrive and build something of their own. You wouldn’t think a town of just a couple blocks could offer so much delicious food; standouts include Vickie’s or head to Daly’s any night of the week for her many, many amazing specials including the best Mole I’ve ever had. To be fair it was only the third time I’ve actually had Mole but I stand by it. There are no smoothie bars or cool cafés here, just good ole’ traditional Mexican culture

The surf here is made up of a right and a left separated by a river mouth. My first time walking across the river to the left one morning I happened to get to the mouth of the lagoon just as the sun crested over the escarpment and Lit. This. Place. Up. It might be one of the most naturally beautiful places I’ve ever laid eyes upon. I was getting high from that scene until I was quickly brought back down to earth and started stepping on burs. These tiny little burs scattered at random across the trails get lodged into your feet and definitely do not feel great. Do I have to say it? Riptides. Almost all swell directions get picked up in Ticla creating multiple peaks spreading the crowd out. Don’t get me wrong, this place can get busy–there’s just more than one spot for people to sit which really helps on the weekends when it’s at its busiest.

Overall

One of the biggest highlights of the Riptides are the in-between moments; you’re on a plane or a bus heading to your next destination. I love them for these moments. It gives you that feeling that you don’t even have anything on your feet which is really what we’re all striving for anyways right? Over 30 days of travel in these things and I couldn’t say anything bad about them. From walking through airports to climbing across boulders–they took a beating and still don’t look any worse for wear than when I left my house at 4:30a.m. a month ago. 10/10.