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Hanging out in Zihuatanejo
Boxfish, Playa las Gatas, Zihuatanejo
On any given Sunday, the beach at Playa Las Gatas heaves under
the weight of all the tourists and locals come to have fun under
the blazing sun. Most come by lancha, about a 10-minute ride from
the main pier across Bahia Zihuatanejo on the Southern Pacific coast
of Mexico.
On other days, the tourists have the beach pretty much to themselves,
and the crowd is only about a quarter the size of the Sunday influx.
It's not hard to see why this beach is so popular. Although it
lies near the mouth of the bay, a wall of rock about 100 meters
offshore tames the meters-high surge coming in from the open ocean.
This wall (and the clear, calm water behind it) provides ideal conditions
for snorkeling. Thankfully, even on Sundays, only a small fraction
of the crowd leaves the beach to enjoy the beauty under the waves.
A ghostly school of barracuda at Playa las Gatas, Zihuatanejo
The wall was allegedly built by Tarascan chief Calzontzin to keep
the sharks away while he bathed. If the legend is true, apparently
the ancient public works project functioned as desired. It is said
that Playa Las Gatas was named for the nurse sharks (which sport
whiskers like cats) that once lived there, but none are to be seen
these days. Even in the absence of sharks, however, there is plenty
for snorkelers to see, including boxfish, angelfish, schools of
small barracuda, and even a large eel near the terminus of the wall.
Watch out for the reef fish-they can aggressively defend their territory
with painful nips to exposed flesh if a snorkeler hangs around a
particular fish's chosen rock for an unseemly amount of time.
The fish are abundant at Playa las Gatas, Zihuatanejo...
...in fact, they won't leave you alone.
Diving is also common with a variety of sites only a short distance
by lancha (small boat). There is an abundance of fish, most medium
sized. There are no big creatures and not a lot of coral, but schools
of colorful fish are ever-present. They are the friendly type, neither
shy nor aggressive, just riding the waves like the divers. In fact,
with the currents as they are, divers and sea inhabitants alike
don't seem to actually swim, but just glide, back and forth, up
and down gently guided by Poseidon and the moon's revolution's about
the Earth. It's not scary, but rather relaxing. There is also a
reputable PADI dive operations based in Las Gatas called Carlo Scuba
whose guides are professional, and very mellow just like Zihuatanejo
itself.
Looking back towards Bahia Zihuatanejo from an offshore diveboat
This fishing village is speckled with sweet little restaurants
ranging from simple to fancy. Casa Bahia in Puerto Mio, about a
ten-minute drive around one side of the bay, has a lovely nighttime
view and delicious tuna. Actually, the tuna everywhere in this town
is the best dish consistently-you can even buy it fresh at the mercado
on Playa Principal for about US$4 per kilo. On Thursdays, the traditional
dish is pozole, a fiery soup made of hominy, chicken or pork, and
herbs and spices.
Dusk overlooking Playa La Madera in Zihuatenejo
Since Zihuatanejo has a large number of English speaking residents
and tourists from all over, many taxi drivers and restaurant staff
speak basic English. You can get anything you want or need even
though this is a small town. And Ixtapa is just down the road too
if you want more nightlife.
Zihua/Ixtapa is reasonably accessible by air-requiring a short
hop from Mexico City International airport. On the road, it is about
four hours up the coast from Acapulco.
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