Study Spanish and Surf Mexico!

  Mexico

• Pacific Coast: 
Puerto Escondido

Dates: Every Monday

Description: Spanish and Surf Puerto Escondido (simply called 'Puerto' by the locals) is located on the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca, Mexico just meters above and overlooking the world famous surfing beach, Playa Zicatela commonly known as the Mexican Pipeline. The surfing here is famous, and the breaks are world class.

We Offer:
Private or small group Spanish lessons, homestays with local families,
salsa dance lessons, workshops in Oaxacan style cooking and artesanry, surf trips, surf lessons, surfboard rentals, excursions to local ruins, lagoons & beaches, rockclimbing adventures as well as tours of Puerto Escondido and surrounding areas.

Our School is a small teachers' cooperative designed to give personal attention to students interested in learning Spanish. We offer small group and private lessons for students of all levels, from the very beginner to the most advanced.

Come join us at our small friendly school at Puerto, where the real Mexico still is, where the surf is never flat, and there is always a wave breaking.

Highlights: Puerto Escondido is a small coastal village in the state of Oaxaca (Wha-ha-cah), Mexico located approximately 200 miles south of Acapulco. Puerto Escondido is known for its beautiful beaches, its coastal culture and variety of activities including world class surfing, sport fishing and diving. In recent years, Puerto Escondido has attracted the attention of international travellers. Flights now arrive daily from Mexico City into Puerto Escondido's international airport. Despite this increase in traffic, Puerto Escondido has managed to preserve an "off-the-beaten-path," authentic feel while at the same time providing the amenities and security that make for a safe and pleasant visit. All this and much more makes Puerto Escondido a perfect place to immerse yourself in the Spanish language and Mexican culture.

What to do in Puerto Escondido

Mexico has over 6000 miles of coastline, over 1500 miles on the mainland Pacific. This section of the coast is covered with beaches, points, reefs and rivermouths. Waves vary from slow rollers to crashing tubes. It seems that every few miles of waterfront offers a new surf spot, most of which are empty. With miles of Pacific coastline, the state of Oaxaca offers surfers some excellent beach and point breaks. Without a doubt, Playa Zicatela at Puerto Escondido is the most frequented and best known surf break in Central/South America Puerto Escondido is a world famous destination for surfing. Many people travel here each year to try their skills on some of the most hollow, tubing waves in the world. In fact, Zicatela beach at Puerto Escondido is known as one of the few top surfing beaches in the world. A beach break with right and left hand tubes, it lives up to it's reputation as "The Mexican Pipeline". There are at least two international surfing competitions here each year, usually in September and November. If you are interested in surfing or watching some of the top surfers in the world, Puerto Escondido is the place to be! However, the pounding beach break on Playa Zicatela, is not the only surf break in the area. Here in Puerto Escondido and all along the length of the coast of Oaxaca, there are a variety of quality beach breaks, outer reef breaks and long points breaks, most of which go virtually un surfed. There's surf here to meet every surfer's desires, from "first timers" to the most advanced.

While surfing is one of the main attractions in Puerto Escondido, there are a variety of other activities in the area. There are "lancha" (small fishing boat) tours of nearby lagoons and wildlife preserves. There are hikes to waterfalls and thermal springs. There are also plenty of "lanchas" to bring you sport fishing, scuba diving, touring the coast or to just tow you around on inflatable "bananas." Protected coves like Carrizalillo provide great opportunities for snorkeling and swimming. Playa Carrizalillo with its gentle waves is also a perfect place for anyone to boogie board or learn to surf. Both snorkeling equipment and boogie boards are available to rent there for very affordable prices. If you already know how to surf, Playa Zicatela, "Mexican pipeline" provides one of the most challenging waves in the world. "La Punta," is also a quality surf break. Located at the southwestern end of Playa Zicatela, it's a long left point break great for intermediate surfers or for when the beach break becomes to big for the expert surfer's board or ability.

There are plenty of attractions in nearby cities and towns. If you want to get a feel for Mexico completely unchanged by tourism, there are many small Mexican and indigenous villages within an hour's drive of Puerto. In opposition Las Bahias de Huatulco, about 2 hours south of Puerto Escondido, has been developed as a huge luxury tourist attraction and now houses the western hemisphere's largest Club Med. The state capital, Oaxaca City is about 6 hours away by bus and 30 minutes away by plane. There are plenty of ruins, markets, museums and indigenous villages to visit there as well.

The months of June through September make up the heart of the rainy season and coincidentally the best season for big wave surfing. While it can rain torrentially during these months, it doesn't rain all the time. Usually it rains for two or three semi-solid days every couple of weeks. The rain can cool the air into the mid 70s and cause the coldest days of the year. It may also rain for an hour or two in the late afternoon one or two additional days each week but for the most part, summer is sunny and warm.

As the rainy season draws to an end in October, the skies clear and the temperature begins to drop. November through February, the skies are blue and temperatures range from 60s at night to 80s (25 C) during the day.

In late February and early March, temperatures begin to climb into the 90s with clear skies. In June, the rain starts to fall again. It cools the air and moistens the soil turning everything green again.

Cost in US$: From 280 per week

Credit Available: yes

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Mexico Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 4

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad

World's Best Language Schools's Mission Statement: We are dedicated to finding you the very best language schools around the world. Each school has something special and unique about it. It may be surfing some of the best waves in the world while studying Spanish, learning all about art and culture in Italy, or discovering the best adventures there are to offer in New Zealand or Venezuela. Our schools are all something special, and we want to make your experience the very best possible during your study abroad.

Year Founded: 1992