BajaNomad

In Baja, Surfers Battle Over The Perfect Wave

Ateo - 3-10-2012 at 06:12 PM

http://www.fronterasdesk.org/news/2012/mar/09/baja-californi...

SAN JUANICO, MX - Nearly 900-miles down the Baja California peninsula on Highway 1, there is an epic wave.

“As far as I’m concerned,” mused a 73-year old surfer who goes by the name Lee of the Sea, “when it’s on, it’s as good a wave as there is in the world.”

He’s talking about the wave at San Juanico, or Scorpion Bay, as it’s more popularly known in the surf community. The place is remote: if you want to take the direct route — still about 650 miles — you have to brave a long stretch of mud and salt flats. One Scorpion Bay website warns surfers to “think twice” before taking this route. If you break through the brittle mud surface, “maybe no one will be along for days,” it says.

Despite the long, rough ride, in the summertime hundreds of American surfers make the journey in four-wheel drives and makeshift campers. They spend their days riding waves that can last up to a minute and a half. That’s a long ride.


Most spend their nights in the campground that occupies the rocky, cactus-studded point directly above the wave. This prime piece of land has caused a nasty legal battle.

It demonstrates the passion — and sense of possession — surfers feel for their favorite spots.

“We’re very selfish with our waves,” James Adkins, an Imperial Valley native, said matter-of-factly. Adkins, who now works as a real estate agent and developer in San Juanico, represents one side of the battle.

“I mean, we don’t want to have more people,” he said.

The conflict pits Adkins and another Southern California surfer turned would-be developer against each other. At stake may be the most sensitive issue in the surf community — access.

“Whoever ends up with that property has kind of a public responsibility to deal with it in a way that, I think, respects the traditional uses there,” said Ruben Andrews, the other side of the battle.


Andrews leases the campground land from the local ejido, which are communal agricultural groups that have been granted large tracts of land by the Mexican government.

Both Adkins and Andrews accuse each other of trying to block off the land. In the meantime, the ejido just wants to turn a profit from its coveted beachfront property.

“What good would it do me to have all these beautiful places if I don’t have the capital to develop them?” said José Jesús Meza, the ejido president.

Andrews and Adkins once ran the campground together, but Andrews eventually bought Adkins out. By then Adkins had moved on to a more lucrative business — negotiating land sales between American investors and the same ejido.

Adkins didn’t necessarily want to see his semi-secret surf spot developed, he said, but "I couldn’t keep putting on the brakes when the ejido wants to sell their property."

"It was either someone else was going to take my position, or I had to step up to the plate,” he said.

Eventually, Adkins and a group of Southern California investors offered $3 million to buy up the campground land and build a cluster of beachfront homes at that perfect wave. The ejido sold it, with Andrews’ campground lease still in effect.

That’s when the war began.

Adkins said his group tried to buy Andrews out from the start, but he didn’t want to sell.


“So as in all negotiations, we tried to figure out a way to force him to sell out,” Adkins said.

For the past five years, Andrews, Adkins and the ejido have been filing suits, counter-suits and appeals against each other in Mexican courts. They’ve each spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawyers.

On a recent morning, the grizzled surfer, Lee of the Sea, played catch with his German Shepard, Sandy, outside of his well lived-in motor home. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and a rattlesnake skin tied around his forehead, holding back his blonde-gray, wispy hair.

His dog had killed the snake a few years back, he explained. So he skinned it and ate the meat.

Lee, who once lived in San Diego, has been camping and surfing in Baja California for decades. He has lost access to many of his favorite surfing spots between Tijuana and Ensenada.

“I mean, access has just about been completely cut off in a lot of those places,” Lee said.

Though he’d like young surfers to have what he had, he said that may not be possible these days.


“It’s changing, everything changes,” Lee philosophized. “Like I’ve said, if you don’t change with it, you get buried.”

Adkins denies his group has plans to limit access to the wave for visiting surfers. But he thinks a more upscale, and restricted, use of the land along this prime surf spot is inevitable.

“In any project all over the world, when the property gets to be a certain value, there’s no way you’re going to stop developers from buying that property and changing it from camping,” Adkins said.

The lawsuits are ongoing, but it looks like surf bums will have at least a few years left to camp at Scorpion Bay.

BajaBlanca - 3-10-2012 at 06:27 PM

I heard that those who live in san juanico are not so happy with surfers

today we were in punta abreojos all afternoon and also heard that the surfers cause havoc cause there are no public bathrooms or showers ....

and the waves today - in abreojos - were just perfect. BTW.

someone really should start a campground there ....

Ateo - 3-10-2012 at 06:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaBlanca
I heard that those who live in san juanico are not so happy with surfers

today we were in punta abreojos all afternoon and also heard that the surfers cause havoc cause there are no public bathrooms or showers ....

and the waves today - in abreojos - were just perfect. BTW.

someone really should start a campground there ....


I've never noticed any hostility from the locals at San Juanico, but maybe they just hide it good. ;)

sancho - 3-10-2012 at 06:52 PM

Laying claim to one's own Surf Spot is as old as
the sport itself, heck, the Hawaiian Kings probably
didn't want any Kooks dropping in on them.
Back in the day, there were slashed car tires, the occasional
shoving match, etc. I do like the 73 yr. old waterman
in the article, to be passionate about someplace
sounds good to me

MMc - 3-10-2012 at 07:39 PM

This sums up why some of us prefer not to post our favorite spots on a open and poplar website.
With Shawn gone it will be interesting to see what happens there. MMc

805gregg - 3-10-2012 at 07:47 PM

There are no unknown surf spots except in very cold places. There are plenty of waves for all in San Juanico, with 6 points, there is something for everyone. When I was there the locals liked the surfers, with out the surfers, the town would be dead.

tiotomasbcs - 3-11-2012 at 07:07 AM

Surfers were the first outsiders into these faraway coastal locales. A few fisherman. We have brought our almighty dollars but always cultured a good vibe! Most of us wanted to live here; and many have returned to live here. Locals, Blanca, love us just not all of our customs. Most surf spots have a few issues dealing with trash, pooping, etc. Here in Pescadero the RV Park washed out facilities so don't go walking in the woods?!:o Trash pickup?? Thank goodness for the "crisis"! Surfing has changed into a Corporate commodity. Que Lastima. Change or be buried?! I don't surf so much anymore but then again there's still lots of fun to be found! Tio

mtgoat666 - 3-11-2012 at 07:51 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ateo
http://www.fronterasdesk.org/news/2012/mar/09/baja-californi...

SAN JUANICO, MX - Nearly 900-miles down the Baja California peninsula on Highway 1, there is an epic wave.


sure has changed since i was last there in '96. sounds like they have ruined the place. houses? i don't remember many stinking houses! if some gringos ruined the place by building houses, i don't care if they lose the houses, i only once cared when i thought they should have stuck to camping, not building.

bajario - 3-11-2012 at 09:17 AM

Wait till the road goes in. Then development will be inevitable. On a larger scale that is.

woody with a view - 3-11-2012 at 10:14 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mtgoat666
i don't remember many stinking houses! if some gringos ruined the place by building houses


they don't call it Gringo Hill for the campsites!

wessongroup - 3-11-2012 at 10:14 AM

Good story ... it does change ... sorry to hear about the road

Ateo - 3-11-2012 at 11:40 AM

No way around it.....change is coming to San juanico. That north road is being constructed and once it connects there will be many more people taking the west coast road rather than the sea of Cortez route. Once they drive by San Juanico and see what's there, they will stay. That's why I say go now, and good thing Wildcoast is buying up land in the central coast area, to keep some areas unclogged.

Dave - 3-11-2012 at 12:50 PM

Not a real battle. They should shoot each other. Preferably at the same exact moment. :biggrin:

CP - 3-11-2012 at 04:59 PM

Yup, physical battle would sure as heck be a quicker end to whatever end the end shall be. Lawyers are the winners in this kind of battle.

Ateo - 3-11-2012 at 05:06 PM

Guess this is what they're fighting over:


woody with a view - 3-11-2012 at 05:21 PM

funny thing how the guy who brought surf forecasting to the masses was the driving force behind cutting off access to the point and building houses along the point.

:barf:

Terry28 - 3-11-2012 at 05:25 PM

Worth fighting over..

MMc - 3-11-2012 at 05:29 PM

This is the spot that started the forecast business. Talked to him a lot back when it was a 976 business. Met him there once. My wife gave up on the place when they built the Bar and restrooms. It will be interesting now he's not involved. MMc

woody with a view - 3-11-2012 at 05:35 PM

smart lady! i hate going through all of the effort to get there and EVERYONE AND THEIR BROTHER AND FRIENDS are already there.....

good spot but there are others where you can actually get a few waves.

Ateo - 3-11-2012 at 06:04 PM

Each year there are more houses built in San Juanico. There's nothing that can be done about that. If I had $300 grand laying around I'd think about building my own little castle in the desert. I think the only issue is beach access. If they turn 2nd point into walled off Cabo/Laguna, I'll be peeed. Having said that, by that time it'll be so friggen crowded I'll have no incentive to go.

Many a days have been spent pulling up the truck on the beach, surfing, playing with the kids and hanging with other families. I won't forget those days.......both of my kids learned to surf there.

BajaRat - 3-11-2012 at 06:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
smart lady! i hate going through all of the effort to get there and EVERYONE AND THEIR BROTHER AND FRIENDS are already there.....

good spot but there are others where you can actually get a few waves.



No no no Woody, They should all stay there. :biggrin:

bent-rim - 3-12-2012 at 08:59 AM

It's interesting to me how surfers are so secretive about their spots, whereas dirt bikers are happy to share routes and advice about Baja. I've seen some great breaks in Baja, check out the coast around Punta Prieta.

Cardon Man - 3-12-2012 at 09:18 AM

Sad situation. I'm not a surfer but as as a surf fisherman I can relate. More people and less access changes the experience completely. Too bad every damn place has to be developed and over exposed in order to have any "value".

motoged - 3-12-2012 at 12:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bent-rim
It's interesting to me how surfers are so secretive about their spots, whereas dirt bikers are happy to share routes and advice about Baja. I've seen some great breaks in Baja, check out the coast around Punta Prieta.


Yeah, dirt bikers are way cooler than surfers :biggrin:

BUT.....keep those GPS routes to yourself....we don't want riff raff riding the best single track, now....do we???:saint::biggrin: