The Poliduras

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

The Polidura brothers have seen it all when it comes to surfing. Their grandfather, Alfonso, brought the first surfboard to Mexico City from Hawaii and the two brothers belonged to the first generation of surfers (perhaps even were the first surfers) in one of the biggest cities in the world. When they first started surfing, there weren’t such things as leashes, rash-guards or wax, and, in order to surf, they had to drive for more than eight hours before reaching the closest beach. It’s been over forty-five years of continuous surfing and the two brothers, as they put it, “won’t stop as long as we’re alive, surfing is forever”.

1) Name: Fernando Polidura

2) Where were you born? Mexico City

3) What generation of Mexico City surfers are you? The first.

4) How did you start surfing? Catching the whitewash on inflatable mattresses at Playa Hornos in Acapulco.

5) How long have you been surfing? 46 years

6) How has being a surfer in the city been for you? I just try to think about the ocean every day, imagining and planning. There’s always a trip in the works (and everything that goes along with it).

7) What’s your favorite beach in Mexico to surf? Las Gatas in Zihuatanejo

8) What other parts of the world have you surfed in? Mexico (from Puerto Escondido to Rosarito), California, Texas, Hawaii and Tahiti.

9) How do you see the new generation of surfers? They’re great, but they need to remember to go to school. No excuses.

10) Have you had any accidents over the past few years? The usual cuts and scrapes all over, and the rail of the board fractured my nose once...

11) Any stories you’d like to share? One time, my brother and I were making a bonfire out of coconut husks outside the house of Sealtiel Alatriste Sr. in Ixtapa and we accidentally flooded the place with smoke, it got so bad that I’m sure it even chased the ghosts away (we’ll see if we ever come clean about that one).

12) What do you like most about being a surfer? The good waves, having had the support of my grandfather and of my parents, teaching my own sons how to surf, plus all the friends we’ve made over the years. Aloha!

1) Name: Alfonso Polidura Perez

2) Where were you born? I was born in Mexico City on November 19, 1956 (I'm a Scorpio, but it’s hard to tell).

3) What generation of Mexico City surfers are you? From Mexico City—the first generation. But, from Acapulco, I’m the second.

4) How did you start surfing? My family owned a house in Acapulco and we always spent our vacations there. In the mornings, my mother would take us waterskiing and in the afternoons we’d rent inflatable mattresses at Playa Hornos. We have photos of us riding those mattresses before we even knew what surfboards were. We also rode around on skates for as long as I can remember. Then, when I was about 10 years old and Fernando 8, my mother took my brother and I to the cinema at Playa Hornos to see the movie “Endless Summer”. From then on, we were hooked.  

5) How long have you been surfing? From the time we first stood up on those inflatable mattresses up until last weekend (46 years).

6) How has being a surfer in the city been for you? At first it was horrible. Even though we had the board that my grandfather brought us from Hawaii, our parents only took us to Acapulco for Easter vacation, summer breaks, and during the holidays in December. Even then they didn’t take us to the beach every day, or if they did we’d get there late. We didn’t have surfing magazines, leashes hadn’t been invented yet, or sun block, or anything to relieve sunburn. We didn’t have wax either, so we used candles instead. Eventually, my mother rented another board with “El Chirris” Sr.
Around the age of fifteen, we started taking the car out by ourselves. We arrived earlier to the beach and each of us had our own board by then so we started to surf more often and get to know other places (anyway we had to drive, being from the city and all). Over the years, we’ve been to places where we were the only two in the water...
Now, things are much easier. We have 4 wheel-drive vehicles, places to stay, boards, wax, iPods, magazines, movies, air-conditioning, time, etc.

7) What are your favorite beaches in Mexico to surf? Playa Bonfil and Playa Linda are my favorites, although we’ve caught great waves all over the place.  

8) What other parts of the world have you surfed in? Hawaii, Tahiti, California (among other states in the U.S.) and Peru.

9) How do you see the new generation of surfers? Just as fired up as we were. I think the feeling stays the same; the only difference is that now you can actually make a living at surfing.  

10) Have you had any accidents over the past few years? A few stitches above my eyebrow, a broken rib, an almost permanent case of sinusitis, last year I got stung by a sting-ray, scrapes, sliced feet, muscle cramps from not stretching or warming up, etc., but nothing too serious.  

11) Any stories you’d like to share? There was one day in December of 1972 when we were surfing at Playa Revolcadero in Acapulco and Fernando left the water suddenly, saying that he had just seen a large shark swimming below the surface. I didn’t really think much of it and stayed in the water. The next day, we read a story in the local newspaper about a shark that had killed a Canadian tourist in front of the Princess Hotel the very same day we had been surfing.

12) What do you like most about being a surfer? The lifestyle, the people and places that we’ve gotten to know, the situations and incredible moments, the fact that you can be risking your life while still thinking you have control over the situation... But most of all, I love being a part of this big family of ‘surfers at heart’ (and only they know what I’m talking about).