This week's story is about a little road trip I took with a couple of surfer pals up Highway 200 to a really great wave near the town of Chacala. This spot has been known in the surfing community for a while-if this wasn't true I'd not be giving directions here. We surfed it on a quiet Wednesday morning, and there were between six and 12 people in the water the whole time, ranging from local kids on shortboards to vacationing California rippers to aging ex-pat gringos on eleven foot tankers. Not a mob scene, but enough bodies to make it obvious that this is a far from secret spot.

So here's how its done. You go north on Hwy 200 for maybe 45 minutes. You all know Hwy 200, the PCH of Mexico, populated by dozens if not hundreds of psycho-macho Mexican car and truck drivers. But seriously, Hwy 200 is a good solid road and as long as you don't go too fast or too slow you'll be fine. You turn left at the Chacala turn-off. It's after La Penita and before Las Varas. You meander a few clicks west, you hit the town of Chacala, you find your way to the boat dock, book a boat, and go. The boat trip costs 400 pesos for up to four people. Don't go with more than four, you'll clog the line-up. The boat guys know the surfer drill. They load you and your boards into the panga, and ten minutes later, you'll find yourself in a rocky deserted cove, possibly surfing high quality left-breaking waves. Or not. The place is perfectly set up to be awesome, wavewise. But in planning this little trip you have to pay attention to certain issues.

First, the swell: this lefthander cranks to the max on a south swell. According to locals I checked with, the north swells of winter produce short annoying A-frames, while the south swells of summer (and spring and fall as well) wrap the rocky little point and shape up into fast, long left lines, in classic point break fashion. We got it on a small day, and the waves ranged from soft shoulders for easy take-offs on the outside to high speed little barrels inside, over the rocks. We had a great time in spite of the small pack of local shortboard kids, really friendly and funny but utterly clueless about surfing etiquette as they cut us off, pushed each other off waves, and laughed at the old gringos splashing on their butts in the waves.

Second, the tide: low tide is best, though I suspect on a big swell it doesn't matter, the waves will hit that rocky point and smoke down the line, because it's a perfect set-up. Either high or low, it is all rock, rock, rock on the bottom, with plenty of urchins on the rocks, so keep your feet up. At the same time, the water magnifies what's underwater, so those rocks that look ready to rip your fins off and mangle your feet are actually a good, safe distance below the surface, as you fly into that barrelly inside section and the wave sucks out and you are going very, very fast all of a sudden, and the rocks are looming, seemingly right THERE, inches from your board. But no, they're down there far enough, don't worry...unless you fall. So don't fall.

Finally, the wind: the wind often comes up fairly early here and blows it all to pieces so it's best to go super-early when it's sure to be glassy. Watch your forecasting websites, and if you plan a trip there, check not only swell and tide but also wind. And don't forget that Chacala is an hour earlier than Sayulita now-when Sayulita switched to Vallarta time, those towns north of Lo de Marcos did not. (I think that's where the time border is.)

The beach here is rocky, with a bit of sand here and there. Behind the beach lies a rustic but inviting federally-controlled campground (meaning it will stay PUBLIC), with fresh water, a few friendly flea-bitten dogs, coconut trees, shady if funky palapas, all adding up to a good mellow set-up 100 meters in from the break.

It's a great half or full day trip, well worth the hour travel time each way from Sayulita. The pretty little town of Chacala's got a bunch of restaurants under palapas on the beach for after-surf dining, the charming Mar de Jade hotel/yoga retreat/holistic medicine center lies on the southern edge of the long town beach, and, as you motor north to the wave from town in your rent-a-panga, take a look at the posh, beautifully-designed beachfront houses along the way. This Marina Chacala development reminds us that the rich are different from you and me. They have a lot more money.

And then forget about the money and get yourself some fun, fast-breaking waves.