The Ocean in Mancora

When not in the volunteer house or working on a project I'm likely down at the beach when I'm in Mancora. Stretching the town on the west coast is the Pacific and the main destination for the majority of the tourists that come to Mancora. 

I had never lived on an ocean before coming to Peru. I'd visited and swam in both the Atlantic and Pacific on family trips when I was younger, but to have such access to an ocean (the PaM house is a ten minute walk from the beach) was amazing. 

I tried surfing and didn't do too badly with an instructor. Didn't do too well on my own. We got a body board down there and I had fun riding that for a while. My favorite thing to do was just swim out into the surf and body surf the waves back in.  I try to avoid the busy areas of the beach in front of the hotels on the south side of town. I swim in the usually deserted north end, where I don't have to worry about getting in anyone else's way. I usually go in the evening (the best time for random dolphin sightings) and watch the sunset as I swim. I'm not the most spiritual guy, but I feel pretty connected and at peace when I'm floating in the ocean in Mancora.