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

Wave Highlight: The Best Waves to Surf in Oaxaca, Mexico Do you want rifling, warmwater, sand-bottomed pointbreaks, or a wave known as the Mexican Pipeline, or something far milder? Oaxaca state in Southern Mexico has it all, but here’s our favorite ones for three different levels. *All righthand pointbreaks around Salina Cruz must be accessed with a local guide Why Go with a Surf Guide? If you’re looking for a more authentic and truly complete experience on a surf trip — a guide will get you there. Thermal Journal Oaxaca. A guaranteed good time in the surf, no matter what level...Beginne ..read more

Everything you need to know about your new bucket-list surf destination, Oaxaca, Mexico. Why Oaxaca “The beauty of the state of Oaxaca and the food there is simply incredible,” says Thermal guide Kalle Carranza, a Mexican pro surfer who’s spent decades frequenting the fantastic southern region. “You can go into town and all the markets are popping and you can get fresh tamales. The flavors and colors of Oaxaca make it so unreal. It’s a very cheap state, too, so you can find a lot cheaper places to stay there than Cabo or Sayulita. Also, you don’t even have to be a surfer to enjoy it, you can ..read more

"Really experiencing a place and doing different things there that you've never done is just as good as getting good waves in my opinion. That's the stuff you truly remember..." Indeed. Certainly, those words resonate with us over here at Thermal, where we view the very beautiful, very fun act of surfing as the vehicle to experiencing the world more deeply. Former WSL World Tour pro surfer, mother, and entrepreneur Alana Blanchard said that, by the way, and we were lucky enough to get some great input from her over a recent conversation about surf travel. We've also teamed up with Alana's Pur ..read more

Pack these surf-essentials to score on your next surf trip to Portugal. DO Bring Wetsuits A 2/2 springsuit or shortarm fullsuit for summer, and a 3/2 mm to 4/3 mm fullsuit for winter (depending on the part of the coastline) plus 3mm or 5mm booties. Rinse in freshwater and hang dry in shade (every time). Indeed, a solid wetsuit is key for surf-success in Portugal, i.e. the trustier/stretchier your suit—the longer you’ll stay in the water and more waves you’ll ride. Boardbag It goes without saying that a solid boardbag is clutch for travel (inflight and in transit), however, you’ll surely want ..read more

Getting to know Easy Life’s João and his very special surfer’s getaway in oft-forgotten Northern Portugal. Sometimes, when you speak with certain people, you can just tell they’re on a different plane. Functioning at a different frequency. Not much phases them. You’ll have what they’re having. They just…get it. João of Portugal’s Easy Life is one of those people. Cool and collected, while João’s had experience in the surf travel-service world for decades, he was looking to create something different in his unique, wave-rich and removed region of Portugal, unlike whatever was trending South. H ..read more

Indeed wave-rich Portugal has a break for every surfer whether you’re a big-wave Dave or just caught the surf-bug. Honestly, there’s far too many options to choose from, but here’s our favorite ones for three different levels. Even when the surf isn't "on", there is always a wave to be found in Portugal. Photo: Juliano CersossimoBeginners Sand-bottomed, softer waves to learn on or have fun as a novice surfer. Mareta A fun little beginner’s wave in Sagres on the southern coast of the Algarve. A perfect, beautiful cove for learning to surf—especially in the summertime—that can also get bigger a ..read more

Why Portugal Perhaps THE most wave-rich country in all of Europe—while also the most affordable one as far as living costs go—Portugal has become an undeniably amazing destination for world-class surf. Check the resume…There’s renowned pointbreaks like Coxos. Incredible sandbars around Peniche, Santa Cruz, and Cascais. The biggest waves in the world at Nazaré. Sunny, inviting rollers around the Algarve… And that’s just what’s in the ocean. On land, it’s centuries-old forts and castles, insane cuisine and wines, remarkable, lovely local people and a fascinating, vibrant capital city (Bom dia ..read more