For more information, contact:
Alejandro Olea at 011-52 (624) 142-2771
or info@costa-azul.com.mx

Good, Long Ride
After 20 years in business, Los Cabos’ first surf shop still shreds

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico (Fall 2006 ) — The 1980s were a hostile decade for surfers in Baja California Sur. Images of good-for-nothing slackers plagued the local Mexican community and tarnished the sport from Todos Santos to the East Cape.

However, where many Los Cabos locals saw vagabonds and wasted time, a quiet 14-year-old saw an industry waiting to be tapped. So, as a teenager in 1986, Alejandro Olea set up shop doing ding repairs on Costa Azul beach.

“From the time I was young, I knew the sport of surfing would grow in Los Cabos,” Olea says. “And I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”

He started small, to be sure, but at the time, Olea set an auspicious trio of goals for himself. “Number one, I wanted to be a great surfer. Number two, I wanted to make my own signature boards and number three, I wanted to have the leading chain of shops in Baja Sur,” Olea says, his voice trailing off and curling into a shy smile.

Twenty-one years later, Olea is a stand-out surfer and Costa Azul Surf Shop now has three locations (Costa Azul, Los Cerritos Beach and Todos Santos), a staff of 10 top-level instructors, impeccably maintained rental boards and equipment, a running stock of more than 250 signature-design surfboards, client transportation to the hottest breaks, a junior waverider team and a regular client list that includes the likes of Adam Sandler and Jason Kidd.

“We’ve come a long way,” Olea nods his head and smiles bashfully before his face turns serious and determination flashes across his eyes. “But I feel like we still have a long way to go before we’re where I want us to be.”

In the mean time, Olea continues to fill his shops with innovative apparel that turns heads; and his line of signature surfboards, which run the gamut from retro to modern, continues to evolve. In fact, Olea and his team are exploring new materials, shapes, styles and technology to create the most competitive boards available anywhere.

However, on par with innovation is doing business with heart. If nothing else, Olea’s early days are a constant reminder of what can happen when kids are given a chance. As such, Costa Azul Surf Shop sponsors the Team Riders, a group of 10 local Mexican and American kids who are dedicated to surfing, clean beaches and a wholesome surfing community. In turn, they receive specialized instruction, Costa Azul apparel and assistance with their equipment. What’s the first Team Rider sponsorship requirement?

“Be happy and lose the attitude,” Olea says. “Smile, help people if they need help and share the waves.”

After all, sharing the waves is what it’s really all about for Olea and the Costa Azul Surf Shop team. “If I can share the surf experience with one person, I’ve had the best day of my life,” Olea says, letting loose with a beaming smile that lingers in his eyes even as the smile fades. “But if I can share the surf experience with 100 people a day in our shop, on the water or even on our website, that’s incredible.”

For more information, visit www.costa-azul.com.mx or any of our three locations in San José del Cabo, Los Cerritos Beach and downtown Todos Santos. To schedule an interview with Alejandro Olea, contact info@costa-azul.com.mx or 011-52-624-142-2771.

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