S WIND 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 4 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 11 SECONDS.
"Leave if you can" -- The direct translation of Salsipuedes. When it's good you won't want to, but catching it good is an art in itself. The break sits at the bottom of a semi vertical cliff which iss accessed via a zig zag road in that was not for the faint of heart.
The name is said to refer to the difficulty of getting in and out especially after rain. Additionally, there is also historic reference to the bay itself -- La Bahia Salsipuedes -- which was the name was coined by Spanish seamen who were aware of the swift currents that made it difficult for sailing ships to leave its waters. It was common for the bay to be used as an overnight anchorage, or as shelter from Pacific storms. Attempts to sail out to open ocean were often thwarted by the bay's swirling currents...thus, "Get out if you can".
Salsipudes was one of the best camping/surfing spots north of Ensenada; and while it may still be, it has been slated for development. Per the SJ article a while back, the main wave is a right point south of the campground which when it's firing, is considered one of the thickest, meanest, and hollowest pointbreaks on the west coast. I caught it one time in the early 80's on a memorable September swell. But even that day didn't hold a candle to how good it can get according to a friend I was surfing with that day, and I thought it was all time.
5 comments:
I heard about that. And now rumor has it Cerritos is being developed. There's already a bar on the beach. A friend who just was there said that Sammy Hagar's brother was drunk in the new cantina, spouting about how he owns the whole beach now and he'll sell you a condo.
A Mexican local refuted, saying that the Mex government is selling the parcels.
Maybe Sammy Hagar's brother is the Mexican government?
Surfed it really good a couple times and several OK sessions.
In the spirit of the name, the exit from the toll road is a quick right that you can miss pretty easy. A sad sight is all the broken beer bottles in the canyon on your way to waters edge.
Also on another note, there's high end hotel that is being built at the point at 'Scorps Bay'.
Every day is an end of an era...
...and the beginning of a new one.
Seldom are the new ones any better though.
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