Surfing Pie de la Cuesta

There is no single peak: sandbars shape lefts and rights along several kilometres of open beach, and they move with each swell. The beach faces south-south-west, so it takes the full force of south and southwest swells, which are most frequent from about April to October. What defines the place is the way the waves break: fast, heavy walls with a lot of water moving, often closing out in shallow water right on the shore. On the right day there are hollow sections and tubes, but the shorebreak punishes mistakes, and impacts against the sand cause injuries.

Currents run strongly along the beach. Offshore is from the north quadrant, and local advice is to go very early in the morning or in the late afternoon. Water stays warm, around 26–30 °C. Beginners should not surf here; learners are better served by a lesson at a gentler beach. On the other side of Acapulco, towards the airport, Playa Revolcadero and Playa Bonfil are the other sand beach breaks surfers use; Revolcadero also has strong currents, and Bonfil is more often recommended for mixed levels.

Most of the action happens close to the sand, which makes this one of the easier places on the coast to shoot powerful waves from land. With the beach facing south-south-west, the early morning sun rises behind you and to the left, giving side and front light on the wave faces for the first few hours. In the winter months the sun then crosses the sky over the sea, and by late morning the water is backlit and full of glare.

Late afternoon is the other classic session: the sun sinks into the Pacific to the west, and bodyboarders and surfers in the shorebreak become silhouettes against the colour. A 70–200 mm lens covers the shorebreak and 300–400 mm reaches the outer sandbars. Stand well back from the wet sand on big days, as surges run far up the beach. Shooting from the water here means swimming in a heavy, shallow shorebreak and is only for experienced water photographers on moderate days. The frame to look for is a throwing lip over a bodyboarder at sunset.

Pie de la Cuesta is about 10 km north-west of Acapulco; from the city, follow the signs for Avenida Fuerza Aérea, named after the air force base located here. From Acapulco airport (ACA), on the far side of the city, allow around 45 minutes. A road runs along the strip between beach and lagoon, lined with seafood restaurants and places to stay, from simple beach lodges to small hotels. Check current travel advisories for Guerrero before you go and drive only in daylight.