So why weren't you there?  Or more importantly, your going to be there next year right?  

This year about thirty riders from all over the US flew down for a week of muscle straining madness.  The swell was good this year throughout the whole trip with no days that were too large and no days that were too small.  It was just right.  The wind, which is always a persistent problem in the area did do a bit of a number on the actual contest in Todos.  But who cares.  All the fun happens at the before and after party anyway.

This year almost everyone flew out of San Diego which not only offers a shorter flight but shorter lines at the counter as well.  Most everyone got on a single flight out of the city which kept things fun for the whole two hour flight (so inconvenient...).  

Upon arrival, the Hotel Mar De Cortez was the choice of most.  As usual, its mix of economical rooms close to the bars and kick ass breakfast is enough to lure just about any traveling skimboarder.  It was still daylight but the wind was blowing hard so there was nothing to do but grab a bite to eat and hit the clubs (or the pillow in my case).

The next morning quasi-native Sean Walzer came by our room to take us skimming.  It seemed windy at the hotel, but we didn't come down to sit around the pool (at least that wasn't the only reason).  We drove down the corridor back towards San Jose Del Cabo, hang a right at a golf course, jump the curb onto a dirt road and drive up along a mountain side.  Below us is a strip of golf course and clear blue waves.  Bill, Jamie and a few others are already on it.  So we scramble across the golf course trying not to get busted by security and make first contact with the warm sand.

Everyone got some good waves that session which makes sense considering how much pent up energy we all had.

Towards the end of the session the wind picked up and it was off to get some lunch and a massage.  Just kidding about the massage.  We don't have money for that kind of stuff.

I actually can't remember what happened the rest of that day.  We must have taken a nap or something.

Which fits right in to the story cause the next morning was an early one.  Trying to beat the wind we awoke around 7AM and caught a ferry out to Lovers Beach, the very tip of Baja California.  We were surprised to find the beach packed at such an hour but soon figured out that they were all dropped off of the nearby cruise ship.

The waves look pretty fun and I decide to get a few shots.  I pick up my camera and turn around to see Paulo hook up with a head high secondary sider and ride it at 30 miles per hour across the beach.  I put my camera back in the box and go skimming.  There were lots of good waves to be had between Mike, Paulo and I that session.  We were all skimming by the rock on the left hand side of the beach trying to pick up little rouge siders that were working their way through.  But down the beach a ways some big wraps were calling Mike Stanaland's name.  Geo followed him down to see if he could get some footage in the good lighting.  Paulo and I continued to skim by the rock for another 20 minutes or so when we heard Geo whistling down the beach.  We look down to see what's up and he is waving.  My eyes finally focus on Mike clawing his way up the sand berm dragging what seemed at first to be both legs (that's bad).  Running down the beach I eventually saw that he was using one leg, making me think that maybe it was just a really bad shinner or something.  But just as I thought that a large wave broke sending a two foot wall of water towards Mike.  It was something that would ordinarily be easy to at least position yourself so that it didn't hit you hard.  Mike took one look at it, put his head on the sand and let it hit him hard.  Not a good sign.  It was his knee and he was totally immobilized.  We had to carry him back to a water taxi on top of a skimboard.  Luckily Paulo's father, who happens to be an Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in knees, was flying into town later that day.

It was almost time to head up to Todos for the contest.  So we got a cardboard brace on Mike's knee and threw him in the truck for the two hour drive.  Some pain pills Mike got a hold of did the trick and he slept most of the way.  Upon arriving in Todos we dropped Mike at the sector house and headed to the beach.  That session was the best Todos  that we would get.  Many of the photos are from that session (photos 11 - 30).  After few hours of skimming and hanging on the beach it was time to head back to town and find Paulo's dad, Carlos.  Carlos did a preliminary exam on Mike's knee and then took him to the hospital in Todos Santos where he personally put a full leg cast on him while conversing with the local doctor in fluent spanish.  If your gonna hurt your knee in Cabo, Carlos is a good guy to have around.  A nice dinner at the Hotel California and it was off to bed.  The contest starts tomorrow.

We arrive on the beach around 9:00 and it is windy.  Cold and windy.  This is the first time it has been like this for the Cabo contest.  This years event was sponsored by Boost Mobile which was a nice change from the ordinary.  The contest format was also a nice change from the ordinary.  This years event was judged with everyone skimming three heats.  The top three rides from each heat counted.  The scores from the three heats were added up and then the final rounds were decided in descending point order.  I actually liked the format a lot because it gave everyone three chances to skim and you could always make up for a bad heat.  Miles Grobman put that to good use too.  After skimming a bad first heat, he skimmed a solid second heat and then two all time heats in a row to pull off 6th in the contest.  In an ordinary contest he would have been cut in the first round but when given a second chance he showed everyone what was up.  Bill was of course the standout through the event.  With Paulo right on his tail and surprisingly myself not far behind Paulo.  Mez's scores grew with every heat while Kito was the machine that he always is.  In the end though the scores broke down like this.

1. Bill Bryan
2. Paulo Prietto
3. Jeff Gomez
4. Aaron Peluso
5. Keith Peery
6. Miles Grobman
7. Jamie Lovett
8. Erik Christensen
9. Brendan Stevens
10. Jus Martel

The waves during the event weren't as good as they usually are, but were still probably the best we will see this season.  All in all it was a fun contest.

Back to Cabo.

With only a few days remaining we were careful with our time.  Every morning for the remainder of the trip we were sure to make it out to Lover's for some great waves and Bull Shark dodging.  For some reason they were lurking just beyond the impact zone at Lovers everyday this year.  Eight feet of nasty shark is enough to make you pay a local kid to go get your board!

After a week of traveling everyone was ready to go home.  Even well trained skim muscles can only take so much and nothing beats the comforts of home.  But you will never appreciate it fully unless you get off your ass and get down there.  See you next year.

Upon returning to the US, Mike had an MRI done.  He has a couple ligament tears and strains but hopefully won't need surgery.  He is in physical therapy for another 3 months or so which will hopefully be all he needs.