As the winds blow offshore at Playa Colorados, as it does some 330 days a year, the waves march in from the depths and begin to take shape along the sandbars. Their tops feather and spray off as their bodies continue their growth until they reach that spot that makes them start to bend, pitch, and break. If you watched long enough you would realize that most of the waves that come through Playa Colorados barrel as they break. Not all are big enough to tuck into, let alone make. Some are too fast, others too small. Yet, sure enough, you find yourself mind-surfing your way into them. If you wer ..read more

In honor of Earth Day, I want to share the story of a recent trip to Southern Baja with our newest impact partners, SeaTrees and WILDCOAST. It all began over one week in February when I was serendipitously connected with people from both organizations, which I had been following for years. While they are two distinct entities, they are both founded by surfers and collaborate on several projects across California and Mexico. The opportunity to join the trip to visit a mangrove restoration project in El Dátil, just two hours north of Scorpion Bay, was too good to pass up. I met Michael Stewart ..read more

I remember my first wave like it was yesterday… It was a hot summer day at Arpoador Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I was 10 years old and my mom had enrolled me and my cousin in a surf school that offered group lessons on the weekends. The instructors gave us some on-land training before they took us out into the water. Since it was our very first time, and there were about 20 of us, we had to wait until some of the more advanced students got their waves. I was so eager to get out there that it felt like it was ages before they finally called our names. We were guided into the water and tol ..read more

It wasn't that long ago that El Salvador was a destination reserved for the most intrepid of surfers. In the 1970s the first wave of surf explorers rejoiced for their discovery of famous right-hand point breaks, like Punta Roca and Punta Mango, but the development of the country as a tourist destination was severely impacted by the Salvadoran Civil War from 1979-1992. As any country that experiences a civil war the road to recovery is long and far from guaranteed. Luckily for all, in recent years El Salvador has made great strides in providing safety. The coastal area around La Libertad has ..read more

Years before Thermal was born, I made a friendship in Mexico that would go on to change the course of our lives.  At the time I was the photographer and creative director for a small-batch mezcal brand, Maguey Melate, and traveled all around the state of Oaxaca to visit farms and meet the mezcaleros. When on these trips, I would plan an extra couple of days to explore the coast and surf. I had taken a few great trips to Puerto Escondido but eventually wanted to branch out and head further south so I started doing some research... Dawn Patrol, somewhere in Oaxaca. Life is Amazing I awoke ..read more

Let’s be real, whether it's in your everyday life or seen on your Instagram feed, there’s a lot of heaviness in the world. Even if you are far from danger, it can be hard to handle and you don’t need to be an expert to realize how it can be detrimental to people’s mental health. While on the one hand, there are so many things to be thankful for, the other hand is holding a grip of bad, bad news…and it seems like all too often the latter is getting all the attention. In journalism, this practice is known as sensationalism and has been around long before algorithms started powering your social ..read more

Out in the vast blue expanse of the South Pacific are the islands of Polynesia, home to a culture that is just as much a part of the ocean as they are to any piece of land. There are over 1,000 islands, spread across an area that is more than twice the size of Canada, but for the sake of this story, I will focus on one, Tahiti. I traveled there last June to meet Tereva David who, from the minute he picked me up at the airport, treated me like a brother. I stayed at his family compound and met his siblings, nephews, cousins, and even got to experience a Tahitian feast for his father’s, Heifara ..read more

Join Zeke Choi, Shiloh Tennberg, Gabriel Tennberg and John Hook as they scour the Mexican coastline finding perfect waves and a week-long experience to remember. Thermal traveller Zeke Choi recounts a trip south of the border, scoring secret Oaxacan perfection. All photos shot by John Hook. "To the surfer, especially one hailing from California, Mexico is the promised land. So close yet so far from American culture, it has become the escape for everything representing freedom and adventure. The open roads (not always paved), fast language, lawless landscape, loose culture, and of course, its ..read more

What to pack on a surf trip to Mexico... Battling that notorious Mexican sun and heat is the name of the game for being prepared for the waves of your life in Oaxaca. Whether you're hunting 10-foot or two-foot, you'll be sure to find gold in Oaxaca. Best Surf Guide Oaxaca, Mexico: Pablo Narvaez Plan a surf trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, with Thermal! Surf Guide Pablo Narvaez from Surf Spirit of Oaxaca is the best in the business. Thermal JournalThermal DO Bring Sunscreen: A grip of SPF 50 suncream and some hardcore block like Vertra or another face-stick. Sure, this is a no-brainer, but if you’re ..read more

Go behind the scenes with Mexico's favourite surf guide. No matter what the surf is doing, Pablo will find the spot. The thing about a good surf guide, is that you develop a reputation. Whether by word of mouth, written in print, or reviewed online, that rep can precede you, so a positive one? Yeah, we’d say that’s clearly preferable. A guy on Thermal’s roster (one of the first, actually) who’s stellar rep precedes him through every medium previously mentioned is Oaxaca’s Pablo Narvaez, guide on our Surf Spirit of Oaxaca adventure. A guy who grew up in Barra de la Cruz—that amazing righthand ..read more