Surfing to the rescue in coastal El Salvador

Ten days ago, I made mention of toxic waste that was supposed to be sent from El Salvador to Poland. However, Poles protested and the waste was turned away.

Surfer Today has an article on the community from which the waste originated (San Luis Talpa: from pesticide-contaminated town to inclusive surf city). Its mayor has sought to diversify the local economy away from sugarcane and to provide young people with an after school activity that will provide an attractive alternative to gangs - surfing.

Mayor Salvador Menendez has recognized that you cannot just ban toxic pesticides. By doing so, you are going to kill jobs in the sugarcane industry. Starting in the first few months of 2014, he decided to promote surfing in San Luis Talpa, to diversify the local economy away from sugarcane.

Because El Salvador has traditionally promoted right-hand point breaks over beach breaks, very few surfers went to San Luis Talpa before 2014. San Luis Talpa municipality has about eight kilometers of coastline, with three main beach breaks: El Pimental, La Zunganera, and Amatecampo.

Fortunately, all these beach breaks have been spared from the pesticide contamination as they are located about ten kilometers from the sugarcane fields. And there are no big hotels in the area discharging sewage into the ocean like in other surf spots from La Libertad region.

The timing of Mayor Salvador Menendez could not have been better to promote surfing in his town. El Salvador right-hand point breaks have become victims of their own success; they are getting crowded over time. So for anyone, being national or foreigner that is looking to surf in uncrowded beaches with minimum hotel development, San Luis Talpa is an excellent choice. It is widely accepted that beach breaks can handle crowds better than point breaks.

For foreign surfers that are always pressed with time, San Luis Talpa beach breaks are ideal. They are located no more than 15 kilometers away from the International Airport. There is no other country in Central America with an airport that close to a high-quality surf spot. For national surfers that have traditionally looked down on beach breaks, it is awakening time.

Looks like a win-win all around.