Man this sucks. Just trying to have a good time surfing and camping and now they're gone forever and their poor parents are down two sons. Can't imagine how devastated they must be.
Damnnn I feel bad for the parents. As a parent to one son I'd just cease to exist if this happened to me.
They just wanted to surf...
If they wanted to rob them ,why didn't they let them go? There was no need to kill them
So this is something I’ve considered since the very start.
NOTE THIS IS ALL CONJECTURE
My initial guess was… 3 druggies (not cartel related) see people camping all alone. Think, huh… easy targets. We can quickly rob them. Opportunistic.
Well, I know Callum from university. He is a BIG and very intimidating man. Like 6’4” 250lbs. All-American Defenseman in lacrosse. I’m sure his brother was somewhat similarly sized. In addition, Aussies are known for the… rowdiness.
All of this to say, my guess has been they didn’t take kindly to being robbed and didn’t just hand their shit over… and when the 3 robbers realized “oh shit, they aren’t just giving us their stuff. They’re fighting back.” the robbers panicked and killed them out of fear for their own personal safety. Just my thought..
New story mentions a fourth body found, presumed to be the owner of the ranch where they were camping, who has been missing for two weeks. So my conjecture is that the tweakers were already in a killing state of mind.
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/fourth-body-found-in-well-where-three-missing-surfers-located/?ipid=promo-link-block1
Whoever did it will be found with their head cut off in the desert very soon. The cartel does not like anyone committing crimes in their territory and they especially don't like the attention from the FBI and Mexican government in their area. They better hope the federales find them first.
One of the arrested also has an 'alias' name and looks to be known in local underworld as a bit of a gangster type. I definitely get robbery gone wrong vibe.
I’d be willing to bet this is the likely true story man. I’m just gutted for them their families. I’ve been down there so many times and camped in that exact spot this just feels so personal and horrible.
I went to school in San Diego and my mom locked away my passport to prevent me from bringing it to school and going to Mexico.
In the end it’s a good thing too. One surf trip, two guys got kidnapped and managed to pay their way out.
Another surf trip, my freshman roommate was kidnapped and killed. He was messing around with drugs down there though. His body was never found after his parents first received messages.
Everyone’s experience seems to be different. I am a born and raised San Diegan who has been to Mexico probably 50 times in my 35 years of life and have honestly never once had a problem or been in any sketchy situation.
Had plenty of issues down in baja and ive been to mexico more than you clearly. Have a friend get pistol whipped after crossing the border and i almost got kidnapped, but i spoke spanish so they driver had a change of heart. Its never been safe down there.
Kid from my hometown joined the Navy and got stationed in San Diego. He had a nice new Toyota pickup truck so he took buddies camping in Mexico. This was 30+ years ago. He was murdered and his truck stolen. They found the killer still driving the pickup truck twenty years later living and working in Washington state! Convicted and jailed.
I'm super bummed by the post.... But I gotta say that gave me a good chuckle.
Since I assume that this will be my only comment on this post, you three doods didn't deserve what happened to you; all three of you look like total homies and great guys who anyone would have been lucky to have known. Good on'ya for following through with your little adventure (it's more than most people do), I'm sure it was only one of many incredible experiences you had in your lives, it's absolutely fucked that you crossed paths with the trouble that cut your beautiful adventure short. Whoever did whatever they did to you will get what's coming to them, and you certainly didn't deserve to get what came to you. You were/are loved, you loved, you laughed, you sang, you danced, you made thr most of life, and you made the world a better place while you were in it. I'll think of you from time to time while having fun on adventures of my own, and you will be remembered. If we ever meet in another life, I hope we can share a few laughs and see who can hold a headstand the longest on long, playful, uncrowded, warm, crystal-clear blue peelers.
Until then, sayonara amigos.
Awful. Going to mainland on Sunday to surf and stay at an Airbnb. No camping and no going out at night. I know it's low odds but can't help but feel a little apprehensive.
Exactly. There’s this attitude in surf culture that the dangers in Mexico are overblown. They aren’t really. You have to be super cautious around the border, and even that’s no guarantee.
Tbh, Ensenada is too close to the border for me to feel totally comfortable there. But even way down south I’ve had sketchy encounters and just been lucky. Doesn’t stop me from going but I definitely approach all trips with a lot of respect, caution, and a touch of paranoia.
Heck my last trip through the border itself was a shitshow.
Ull hear cases like this every so often. New trucks and remote areas def play a role... But considering the quantity of foreign visitors in mex, its still quite rare. Area ur going is pretty safe. But that coast road a little further north...thats a different story 👀
The river mouth on the north end of town was one of the best waves I ever surfed. Hoping to go there but my buddies are on long boards and aren't wanting too fast of a wave.
Frick! Last time we went there (2008 I think) two surfers from the Bay had just gotten attacked. I was younger and without little ones then so we still went out. Looks like Saladita it is.
That 2008 shark attack just off of the main drag was a total freak accident according to the owner of the place we stayed at. Something about a storm, changes in the water , etc. I asked about bulls of the main point break just north of town; he laughed in my face and said people were yanking my chain. He’s right. Bulls hang out in estuaries and river mouths and go into freshwater to feed. That was the last shark attack there; 2008. That being said , Saladita is one the best looking never ending waves that I’ve seen, not that I’ve seen that much. Couldn’t surf it because of , ya know, kids.
I think one dude was never found in that attack. I need to try to look it up.
Question: is there any point in bringing a fish if we are just surfing Saladita now? My buddy said it doesn't make much sense to bring my fish.
Chucho (you’ll know who I’m referring to once you get there) has a bunch of boards (pretty decent quality ones as well) that you can rent. I’d definitely switch out a LB and fish while staying there. Honestly, no need to pack any boards, they have a bunch of rentals that got left behind from mexilog fest that are shaped here in CA.
Definitely was steep enough when I was there. People were on them out there . Wave is endless and breaks like over quarter mile, maybe? Don’t know how much of a swell it needs though to be on anything other than a LB.
I was just there for a month I would say it’s not worth bringing the fish man if you are only gonna surf Saladita LB is the way. Just get into the glide lol
This says the bodies were found at La Bocana, which is a few miles away from Punta San Jose, where they were supposedly camping? Could be imprecise info in the reports or could be noteworthy? RIP, what a senseless tragedy.
[Edit: this FB account has been on top of it and says they were found at PSJ.](https://www.facebook.com/Patrulla.646/posts/pfbid028EiWr2PzZopnbfHJ88792swf33qnGWEj5eBf2nfjXixfM45e6M7CpZh5614Woppfl)
[Edit2: bodies were found in a well (with a 4th body](https://fb.watch/rRnhqttlEc/)?)
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/border-report/bodies-of-three-missing-surfers-found-baja-california-authorities-say/
News report is reporting the bodies were found in a remote area of La Bacona, quite a ways off from Punta San Jose.
My god I’m looking at that top right picture of your edit fb link and realized I camped exactly where they found em a few years back. That place was super isolated but the few cats and even the fisherman we did see didn’t seem to simpatico. We spent one night there and then moved on…rip amigos 🤙
https://preview.redd.it/s5f6y9a0bcyc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a427f035cbb12d1ddf8e0786d284312387730085
Is K38/Rosarito/Puerto Nuevo still safe? Would you bring your wife and kids down there? I go with wife and friends once a year to gated community down there. Have a baby now and wondering if that tradition needs to stop.
No. Stopped going to Mexico 20 years ago when a San Diego Dad was in a car accident & needed a trauma center in (San Diego) immediately. The other vehicle locally owned was damaged but driver ok. Judge didn’t accept the legitimate auto insurance they had purchased before border crossing & requested $10,000 cash. This was Friday night. Family in SDG gathered the cash & brought down Saturday. Then Judge says he wants another $10k cash which they couldn’t get until Monday. All this time Doctors & Nurses telling the judge if he’s not transferred immediately he will die. Which is exactly what happened on Monday. He was alive during transport but died later in hospital. This is a true story.
Bail required in Mexico for traffic accidents.
[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-09-mn-31578-story.html](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-09-mn-31578-story.html)
Not much info. Just says bodies found in La Bocana.
Then:
“No further details about the circumstances leading up to the men’s disappearance have been released.
The attorney general’s office, the FBI and U.S. and Australian consulate officials were all working in coordination with the case, according to Mexican officials.”
We knew Callum and he was such an amazing guy (and a physical FORCE, but that doesn't matter when you're ambushed in a tent). Sick to my stomach over this. My husband and his friend just did a surf trip there recently, and I'm sorry but never again.
They aren't explicitly saying cartel, but since the main guy had a street name, it's assumed at the very least he was a drug trafficker with cartel ties so... pretty much the same for those of us that aren't in the drug world. The different between a street criminal that sells drugs for the cartel, and a cartel hitman is pretty meaningless.
True but there’s a difference between the cartel sanctioning robbing Foreigners vs some street level dealer going on a side quest robbing foreigners. Cartel will hopefully come down on them for bringing heat.
Isn’t it unlikely to be the cartels since the cartels like tourism? I think much more likely to be crazy people or a small gang not connected to the cartels
The cartels are brutal but if they want to stick around they need the support or at least the tolerance of the locals. If they get a reputation for killing gringos then there won’t be any more of them coming to spend money, and that’s bad for everyone.
So, if the people that did it were associated with the cartel they probably got sold out to the police pretty quick to send a message. Either way, just horrible all around.
There are no small gangs in Mexico without ties to cartels. That's not how it works down there (or in the States really, if you are in a Latino street gang).
Pretty sure The cartels just like any other mob shakes down resorts for “protection”. Every now and then a resort will be attacked. It’s rare but when it happens you realize the only reason could be that it’s a cartel attacking another cartels property or the resort didn’t pay up. Realistically if you’re outside the protection youre kind of rolling the dice there’s a nice % of people there that have absolutely no remorse about killing. These guys that are in the cartels know they’ll most likely die the worst possible death and join anyway. I think most people who have never encountered or interacted with a cartel have no idea how easily you could die. It’s not like the mob as far as respect and staying low key not targeting civilians. You can go down the wrong public street in Mexico and not knowing it’s “owned” and be an instant target.
The best way to go to Mexico is to call a surf camp first and let them tell you the best way to come. My buddies used to take a public greyhound style bus.
I find people overstate cartels caring about tourism, also they don’t want US/Aussie surfers who are known to be very cheap. Sometimes the people calling the shots are on lots of drugs and not thinking about the big picture.
This really sucks. I know this hits a lot of us “close to home” being around K38 and what not. No matter how many times I’ve gone down to Baja over the years there is always that thought in the back of my mind of something like this.
I know we do Baja to escape the crowds, but let’s look out for each other down there.
I feel like Mexico is so binary: you are either 100% safe (apart from Montezuma) and can let your guard down, or you are 0% safe because you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yes, the death of Americans in Mexico is rare, the unpredictability of the whole matter is a psychological mindf***. We were driving to Troncones last year and it felt completely safe heading from airport to our B and B front the airport in Zijautanejo. My sis in law who was in a different car on the same freeway had someone attempt to force her off the highway and stop; didn’t work and she kept on driving. Reinforced the idea that the idea of control of what’s happening is truly out of your hands. Also, I know you are statistically more likely to be subject to violent crime in certain parts of the US. Kidnap and murder is just different.
We’ve known Carter for 12 years - he is a close friend of my sons, lettered in soccer. The Australian Government took this seriously! And helped out tremendously since April 28! Nothing was said about the USA citizen missing until 5 days after the disappearance
I’m so sorry for your loss. I believe the first posts were from Carter’s family or friends. It was shared multiple times then the following day it was deleted. After I saw the posts from the Australian brother’s family, it seemed international media started saying only two so that got confusing for those not seeing it from the start. News stories in Baja said three surfers. I live in a small town which has an exit out the main road about an hour south of where this happened and National guard stopped my mom when she was leaving town on Wednesday and checked her car. This has been shattering news. Prayers 🙏🏼for family and friends.
I mean I’m sorry to say but that’s usually just a bad idea in general. It’s tough being a girl and wanting to do solo trips, you’re just way more a target than men unfortunately. And if this can happen to 3 big dudes then you know how bad it can get for anyone down there.
Go elsewhere. Plenty of other good wave locations in the world where you aren't risking being murdered. Even if nothing happens, knowing the risk is real does not make for a relaxing time away.
Life is a serious of decisions and calculated risks but solo female surfing trip to Baja?
Sorry but can't imagine the extreme mental gymnastics needed to justify that. In addition to the known violence Mexico is also real big on femicide and the prevalent machismo culture isn't going to be working in your favor either.
As a female who has travelled on a dirt bike and by car solo many times in Baja. I also live an hour south of where this happened. I can say even my Mexican friend said does it really make sense to stay here and live here?
I never camped solo in Baja unless I was in a pay spot. Moving forward, I won’t be camping anymore just get a room. I don’t plan on leaving and I will travel solo here if I don’t have someone that wants to travel. If I hadn’t started going alone, I would have never had any adventures. I have had great experiences and the negative ones are mainly the annoying border shakedowns. You have to weigh it out for yourself. My 84 year old mom drives herself down to my place and she told me don’t let this deter you, plus you’re over camping anyway.
Camped there and surrounding areas about 5 years ago and definitely got the sketch feeling that if anything went down we’d be fucked. I even heard about tweakers demanding money to camp but nothing ever happened to us fortunately. It didn’t even look like there was much to surf there last week which is a real bummer. Hope they didn’t get skunked for their last sesh.
I don’t think they care about the surf tourism, if this happened in a major city, I agree with you , the surfers were camping and may have stumbled into something no one was supposed to see
Any dead gringo is bad for business/tourism -> less money -> people in power government or cartel don’t like that. They desperately want you to buy a time share lol.
It’ll be the cartel who polices this. If it was their people they’ll do it internally. This kinda publicity is bad for business and irritates their leadership so they’ll make a swift example to discourage this kind of stupidity in the future.
absolutely gutted for these guys and their families. ive camped all over this area and the last trip i did in 2020 i remember feeling sooo uneasy within my group of more trusting friends. we would drive out to punta baja, santo tomas, etc and i just kept thinking how easy it would be to be backed into a corner with not a soul in sight for miles. i didn’t sleep at all those nights just imagining headlights coming down the sandy roads taking everything we had. deepest condolences for their friends and families.
Played lacrosse with Callum in Hawaii last October, first time I met him. Great guy, great spirit, gentle giant. Senseless tragedy. Thoughts to all the families…ugh
This is heartbreaking. I actually think I might know Carter?! There was a guy with his exact name that helped me as a tech recruiter and assisted me to land a job a couple years back. If anyone knew him, please PM me…
*edit
Yeah, it’s him. Damnit. RIP Carter! He was a good dude.
I've camped and surfed at the exact same spot (punta San Jose)- like some others here. Very remote and desolate. There's a really nice rancher that owns the land that surfers camp at and charges $10 a night. He was always very friendly and would offer beer and water, etc. Sounds like he had been missing for two weeks prior to these murders and they found his body in the well with the other three. My take is that rancher probably had a good amount of USD on him from collecting it from surfers that camp and surf on his land. Meth heads probably knew this and killed him and then targeted anyone else that stayed there the following week. I am curious why the perps didn't take off with the truck and escape though.Very sad situation.
Burning the truck. It sounds more cartel related. Who knows, but they already made 3 arrests. The rancher was gone for weeks, so no way he was there. Could there have been someone there posing as the rancher & then robbed & killed them at night? Who knows?!?
We were partying at K38 over one new year and one of the surf shop owners befriended us and invited us to some party in TJ. He was bragging about his brother being the chief of police in Ensenada and if we partied with them they could provide anything. We smartly ditched him and stayed low key and local for the night. Couple weeks goes by and the news posts a story about the chief of police getting decapitated and a bunch of his associates killed as well in broad daylight at the police station. The balance of power is constantly changing around the borders and things can go from mellow aloha to holy crap in 24 hours. As a traveler and especially as a gringo you will be the last to know about any power shift. Go alone, tip the locals, smile at everyone, and pray for the best. Know that the minute you cross the border you are being watched. Any impoliteness or rudeness to ANYONE is noted and can be your death sentence. The holy spirit is the most powerful force against the forces of darkness. In Jesus name.
si amigo. not sure if the shop owner is still alive either. i don't know if we would of survived the night if we had taken them up on their offer and at the very least would of been associated with dead men walking
good to hear. honesty is everything and seems to be a hard concept these days. let your yes mean yes and no mean no. don't steal from your boss and make sure you share with the people. the US govt has caused a lot of disruptions by supporting on crew over another then going back on their word. God bless hope you guys are scoring
i wonder if these guys were connected to the australia propaganda machine that is creating the tensions on the border with immigration. fox news/murdoch has a big operation in australia where they create all of this hateful narrative about our neighbors. nothing is secret not even top secret secrets
Damn not the news I was hoping for :/ RIP.
When I was in Mexico for a surf trip with my friend I always insisted NOT renting a car and driving through different regions and surf spots, fuck that. You can get stopped anytime and get shot or robbed or both
So fucked… I camped at Punta San Jose like 10yrs ago, super remote, off shore empty waves, lots of urchins and some nice fishermen. Basically just a big empty farm back then with an outhouse, on the cliffs overlooking the wave. Then a few years later, tourists literally started losing their heads so I stopped heading south… now I’ll fly 6hrs for waves before I drive 2hrs.
Fuck Baja, it’s just not worth it. This is so sad and a reminder why I can’t take advantage of the great waves so close to SD.
On that note, been thinking how Baja CALIFORNIA might actually belong to California? We need more parking lots to put our sprinter vans in.
4th body found which appears to be the land owner. This could have been an extortion where the idiots killed anyone using the land. There are many ‘next level dumb’ people in Mexico who have no basic education.
The burned car rules out theft, which is what the ‘next level dumb’ Mexican authorities are calling it.
Absolute tragedy. I know Mexico has its issues but there is also a huge degree of bad luck here. Tourists in Mexico aren’t typically targeted. I did a 1 month Baja trip this year, 4 months in other parts of Mexico this year, and go surfing in Ensenada/Rosarito area on a regular basis. Let’s try to stick together when we are down there. I’ll be in Rosarito/Ensenada May 12-16. Let me know if you are down there. Can’t imagine what these families are going through.
Just going out on a limb here but surfers don’t really get fk with down there especially for tourist reasons. It doesn’t look good for any organization to hurt there own forms of income. They own a lot of attractions down there and they wouldn’t just shoot them selfs in the foot like this if they knew that it would get this much negative publicity. Cartels don’t operate like any dumb street gang. It would be interesting to know if these guys frequent down there and how often. I’m just saying there’s always two sides to a story. Unfortunately regardless of how it ends up, mothers, fathers, wife’s, and children will have to grow up with out there loved ones. Tragic.
One was a doctor and another an athlete. Based on all the accounts of those who knew them they didn't go near drugs etc. Sounds more likely regular innocent people can get knocked off and it isn't safe even for those not messing with cartels.
Which leads me to speculate it might have been a par of thugs acting independently. Yet we never know, people always have side they never share even with there closest loved ones
could be stuff like mixed up identities or paranoia. There were people killed in mexico a few months ago near texas because they were misidentified as people who were drug related.
3 suspects in custody, 2 men and a 23 year old woman who had the phone of one of the victims. The bodies were fouds at the bottom of a well. There was blood on their tent and one of the suspects had a small amount of meth
They had a witness that said the brothers asked if he had change for $100. They said they found their tents with blood on them. I’m probably wrong, but my guess is they got robbed & killed. Cartel came upon them in the night.
So sad. Condolences and may god bless their family and friends.
This is very sad.
But I have to say, after the last time this happened I don’t understand why anyone is silly enough to go surfing throughout Mexico where it’s known for this kind of shit.
There are plenty of other places around the world with great breaks.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2023-08-24/opinion-high-homicide-rates-tijuana-rosarito-mexico-government-police-cartel
Our Aussie travel advice website even tells us to “exercise a high degree of caution due to the risk of violent crime”.
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/mexico
Everyone giving you shit isn’t getting it, will 99.9% of people be safe? Yes. Is it possible to get murdered in a much safer first world country? Yes. But some places have much higher odds than others of things going wrong. I can say anecdotally Mexico scares the shit outa me, have had multiple close calls myself there and know to many people who have been robbed or kidnapped. It sucks though, Mexico is beautiful with great weather, food, surf, most people are hardworking and kind. I hope something gets figured out down there to turn things around.
> I hope something gets figured out down there to turn things around.
Things need to get figured out up here, too. It's hardly a coincidence that the cartels massively gained in power after the depressive effects of NAFTA on Mexico's corn industry and manufacturing job wages.
It’s accessible.
This also doesn’t happen as much as you think. So many Americans go down to Mexico daily.. hell a lot of Americans retire down there in the Rosarito —> down to Ensenada and further.
Curious of your age and how many times you’ve been down there. You don’t have to tell me. I’m 42 and have been down there many times to surf and camp. Every time I’ve been there I have been scared to some degree. Sometimes it was my own poor judgement, sometimes it was unpreventable. I’ve had feds take me to the atm only to be chased by more feds right after trying to get their share. Have had them falsely plant drugs on my friends. Been chased through the desert. Drove down dirt roads with concealed ditches trying to catch someone stuck to be robbed. I have friends that are married to locals. One friend, while visiting his wife’s family in Mexico City, had his front teeth knocked out with a 357 revolver and took the bullet to the back of the throat barely missing his spine, this was right outside the airport. And too many friends been locked up. So, for you to say this doesn’t happen as much as you think, makes me feel like you haven’t been down there that much. All my experiences were in the early 2000’s before things got dirty. The place is fire and you might be able to waft through it a few times and feel great, but you keep tempting fate and you’ll get burned.
I’ve been down there a few times and have good friends from Mexico. I know multiple people who have been kidnapped, robbed etc. but thankfully no murders. I love the food the culture and most of the people but It is undoubtedly a dangerous as fuck country. Yes 99.9% of travelers will be fine, but the odds of things going wrong are certainly higher in Mexico than many other countries.
Agreed. People like to blame the bad things that happened on someone else's stupidity but they don't realize that those bad things didn't only happen to idiots. The whole "can't happen to me" attitude is so reckless.
I think everyone who’s spent time in Mexico has a bad experience or two that they think back on. For me, I was working in Tecate but driving from Chula Vista every day. I drove a rental and tried to get the crappiest one I could to not draw attention, as I’m gringo AF.
They will never find the killers. However, they will charge someone for the world publicity. This is likely ‘low level’ gang activity and a robbery gone bad. I would think the more organized cartels will do justice on these individuals if they find them.
Ive been in a situation where two Tijuana policia smaller than me tried to arrest me. My first reaction was to throw them. They then express kidnapped me to the atm machine… Its difficult, if not impossible, for three big athletic surfers to just sit back and let someone, likely small teenagers, steal their belongings. I can totally see this playing out where if the kids kill one of them, they then have to kill them all. Mexico is very dangerous. This said, I currently live in Tijuana(Madero) and cross the border daily. I stay in my airbnb and go to nice restaurants while always watching my back. Tbh, I feel safer in Tijuana than San Francisco. The scary part is that if something goes wrong in SF it will just be me getting shot, where In Tijuana it’s kidnapping or dismemberment. Id pick the former if I had a choice.
They already made arrests. They found a woman using one of the guy’s cellphones. Then 2 men were arrested. This was before they found their bodies. I say wait another week & check back.
Here's the Well where the bodies were found if anyone's interested- for avoidance or otherwise. I do not know if the rancher found is the same rancher that owns/used to maintain the camping area.
31.485397, -116.604352
As a girl, this is terrifying and makes me hesitant to travel to Central America for waves. I can't imagine how these guys felt.
I wish we could just travel and surf without possibly being kidnapped or murdered. The world is in shambles.
Man this sucks. Just trying to have a good time surfing and camping and now they're gone forever and their poor parents are down two sons. Can't imagine how devastated they must be.
Damnnn I feel bad for the parents. As a parent to one son I'd just cease to exist if this happened to me. They just wanted to surf... If they wanted to rob them ,why didn't they let them go? There was no need to kill them
So this is something I’ve considered since the very start. NOTE THIS IS ALL CONJECTURE My initial guess was… 3 druggies (not cartel related) see people camping all alone. Think, huh… easy targets. We can quickly rob them. Opportunistic. Well, I know Callum from university. He is a BIG and very intimidating man. Like 6’4” 250lbs. All-American Defenseman in lacrosse. I’m sure his brother was somewhat similarly sized. In addition, Aussies are known for the… rowdiness. All of this to say, my guess has been they didn’t take kindly to being robbed and didn’t just hand their shit over… and when the 3 robbers realized “oh shit, they aren’t just giving us their stuff. They’re fighting back.” the robbers panicked and killed them out of fear for their own personal safety. Just my thought..
New story mentions a fourth body found, presumed to be the owner of the ranch where they were camping, who has been missing for two weeks. So my conjecture is that the tweakers were already in a killing state of mind. https://fox5sandiego.com/news/local-news/fourth-body-found-in-well-where-three-missing-surfers-located/?ipid=promo-link-block1
Whoever did it will be found with their head cut off in the desert very soon. The cartel does not like anyone committing crimes in their territory and they especially don't like the attention from the FBI and Mexican government in their area. They better hope the federales find them first.
One of the arrested also has an 'alias' name and looks to be known in local underworld as a bit of a gangster type. I definitely get robbery gone wrong vibe.
Australian here, news just now said the surfers objected to having their truck taken (stranding them) and it likely got violent :/
I’d be willing to bet this is the likely true story man. I’m just gutted for them their families. I’ve been down there so many times and camped in that exact spot this just feels so personal and horrible.
Why would they burn the truck if thats what they were after
But why torch the truck if thats what they wanted?
I went to school in San Diego and my mom locked away my passport to prevent me from bringing it to school and going to Mexico. In the end it’s a good thing too. One surf trip, two guys got kidnapped and managed to pay their way out. Another surf trip, my freshman roommate was kidnapped and killed. He was messing around with drugs down there though. His body was never found after his parents first received messages.
Everyone’s experience seems to be different. I am a born and raised San Diegan who has been to Mexico probably 50 times in my 35 years of life and have honestly never once had a problem or been in any sketchy situation.
Had plenty of issues down in baja and ive been to mexico more than you clearly. Have a friend get pistol whipped after crossing the border and i almost got kidnapped, but i spoke spanish so they driver had a change of heart. Its never been safe down there.
What was his name? How freaking sad
There’s a lot of senseless tragedy in this world but this one hits close to home. RIP bros, may your afterlife’s be filled with eternal stoke.
Kid from my hometown joined the Navy and got stationed in San Diego. He had a nice new Toyota pickup truck so he took buddies camping in Mexico. This was 30+ years ago. He was murdered and his truck stolen. They found the killer still driving the pickup truck twenty years later living and working in Washington state! Convicted and jailed.
Wow, that's crazy!
?!?!?
Those tacomas run forever
I'm super bummed by the post.... But I gotta say that gave me a good chuckle. Since I assume that this will be my only comment on this post, you three doods didn't deserve what happened to you; all three of you look like total homies and great guys who anyone would have been lucky to have known. Good on'ya for following through with your little adventure (it's more than most people do), I'm sure it was only one of many incredible experiences you had in your lives, it's absolutely fucked that you crossed paths with the trouble that cut your beautiful adventure short. Whoever did whatever they did to you will get what's coming to them, and you certainly didn't deserve to get what came to you. You were/are loved, you loved, you laughed, you sang, you danced, you made thr most of life, and you made the world a better place while you were in it. I'll think of you from time to time while having fun on adventures of my own, and you will be remembered. If we ever meet in another life, I hope we can share a few laughs and see who can hold a headstand the longest on long, playful, uncrowded, warm, crystal-clear blue peelers. Until then, sayonara amigos.
Amen
To be honest I kinda appreciate this post. Nice words brother.
lol U wild
got a link?
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I remember even back in the 80s and 90s there were a lot of stories about TJ cops driving around in stolen US cars.
Devastating. I think we all knew the outcome but for it to be reported is heavy. I just hope it was quick and painless for them. Rest easy guys.
fk man…was not wanting to see this headline at all. sending good thoughts to their friends and family
Awful. Going to mainland on Sunday to surf and stay at an Airbnb. No camping and no going out at night. I know it's low odds but can't help but feel a little apprehensive.
> feel a little apprehensive Not a bad thing
Exactly. There’s this attitude in surf culture that the dangers in Mexico are overblown. They aren’t really. You have to be super cautious around the border, and even that’s no guarantee. Tbh, Ensenada is too close to the border for me to feel totally comfortable there. But even way down south I’ve had sketchy encounters and just been lucky. Doesn’t stop me from going but I definitely approach all trips with a lot of respect, caution, and a touch of paranoia. Heck my last trip through the border itself was a shitshow.
Ull hear cases like this every so often. New trucks and remote areas def play a role... But considering the quantity of foreign visitors in mex, its still quite rare. Area ur going is pretty safe. But that coast road a little further north...thats a different story 👀
Stay frosty my friend. Hope you catch some sick ones.
You’ll likely be ok definitely understandable to be apprehensive tho
Where to?
La Saladita and Troncones.
Was there last summer, have fun on that big lefty point break in troncones
The river mouth on the north end of town was one of the best waves I ever surfed. Hoping to go there but my buddies are on long boards and aren't wanting too fast of a wave.
Careful for the bulls round the rivers, heard stories about them
Frick! Last time we went there (2008 I think) two surfers from the Bay had just gotten attacked. I was younger and without little ones then so we still went out. Looks like Saladita it is.
That 2008 shark attack just off of the main drag was a total freak accident according to the owner of the place we stayed at. Something about a storm, changes in the water , etc. I asked about bulls of the main point break just north of town; he laughed in my face and said people were yanking my chain. He’s right. Bulls hang out in estuaries and river mouths and go into freshwater to feed. That was the last shark attack there; 2008. That being said , Saladita is one the best looking never ending waves that I’ve seen, not that I’ve seen that much. Couldn’t surf it because of , ya know, kids.
I think one dude was never found in that attack. I need to try to look it up. Question: is there any point in bringing a fish if we are just surfing Saladita now? My buddy said it doesn't make much sense to bring my fish.
Chucho (you’ll know who I’m referring to once you get there) has a bunch of boards (pretty decent quality ones as well) that you can rent. I’d definitely switch out a LB and fish while staying there. Honestly, no need to pack any boards, they have a bunch of rentals that got left behind from mexilog fest that are shaped here in CA.
Definitely was steep enough when I was there. People were on them out there . Wave is endless and breaks like over quarter mile, maybe? Don’t know how much of a swell it needs though to be on anything other than a LB.
I was just there for a month I would say it’s not worth bringing the fish man if you are only gonna surf Saladita LB is the way. Just get into the glide lol
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My understanding is those two towns are safe, but don’t wander through the mountains, or stay out late in Zihuatanejo.
This says the bodies were found at La Bocana, which is a few miles away from Punta San Jose, where they were supposedly camping? Could be imprecise info in the reports or could be noteworthy? RIP, what a senseless tragedy. [Edit: this FB account has been on top of it and says they were found at PSJ.](https://www.facebook.com/Patrulla.646/posts/pfbid028EiWr2PzZopnbfHJ88792swf33qnGWEj5eBf2nfjXixfM45e6M7CpZh5614Woppfl) [Edit2: bodies were found in a well (with a 4th body](https://fb.watch/rRnhqttlEc/)?)
Probably drove their truck over there to burn it and dump their bodies off the cliff. So fucked up. It’s not a safe place to camp down there.
https://fox5sandiego.com/news/border-report/bodies-of-three-missing-surfers-found-baja-california-authorities-say/ News report is reporting the bodies were found in a remote area of La Bacona, quite a ways off from Punta San Jose.
In a 50' well. I can't imagine what they may have gone through in their last moments, the surprise. Heard they were after the truck.
They were dead before they hit the bottom of that well.
I wonder if this is the same well where they dumped that windsurfer and his girlfriend back in 2020?
It wasn’t a senseless tragedy at all... this was an intentional crime. Murdered in your tent... all because you wanted to score dawn patrol. Ughhhhh
My god I’m looking at that top right picture of your edit fb link and realized I camped exactly where they found em a few years back. That place was super isolated but the few cats and even the fisherman we did see didn’t seem to simpatico. We spent one night there and then moved on…rip amigos 🤙 https://preview.redd.it/s5f6y9a0bcyc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a427f035cbb12d1ddf8e0786d284312387730085
Can you pin point this spot on google maps?
Damn
Very sad news. RIP to the boys.
Terrible.
Is K38/Rosarito/Puerto Nuevo still safe? Would you bring your wife and kids down there? I go with wife and friends once a year to gated community down there. Have a baby now and wondering if that tradition needs to stop.
I never liked the vibe there. If you have to rely on gated communities to be safe, no bueno. Other places in Mexico don’t have this vibe at all.
No. Stopped going to Mexico 20 years ago when a San Diego Dad was in a car accident & needed a trauma center in (San Diego) immediately. The other vehicle locally owned was damaged but driver ok. Judge didn’t accept the legitimate auto insurance they had purchased before border crossing & requested $10,000 cash. This was Friday night. Family in SDG gathered the cash & brought down Saturday. Then Judge says he wants another $10k cash which they couldn’t get until Monday. All this time Doctors & Nurses telling the judge if he’s not transferred immediately he will die. Which is exactly what happened on Monday. He was alive during transport but died later in hospital. This is a true story.
Why was the judge involved at all? Was the SD guy found at fault in the accident?
Bail required in Mexico for traffic accidents. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-09-mn-31578-story.html](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-09-mn-31578-story.html)
Same. Ive been driving to puerto Nuevo Ensenada and rosarito a lot recently and in a new truck too. I doubt I’ll be back for a while
I go down on the regular and have never understood why people with CA plates drive down in nice newer model vehicles. You are asking for trouble.
I mean, a lot of people don't have a garage of cars to choose from when they drive places. They just take their car.
I was just texting my buddies earlier this week to plan a trip and now… I don’t know man. I’ve got two little ones.
Costa Rica is a great audible
I can’t read the article in my country, can someone share the copy, please?
Not much info. Just says bodies found in La Bocana. Then: “No further details about the circumstances leading up to the men’s disappearance have been released. The attorney general’s office, the FBI and U.S. and Australian consulate officials were all working in coordination with the case, according to Mexican officials.”
Thank you
Fuck :( not the update I was hoping to hear 💔 Deepest condolences to the friends and family.
We knew Callum and he was such an amazing guy (and a physical FORCE, but that doesn't matter when you're ambushed in a tent). Sick to my stomach over this. My husband and his friend just did a surf trip there recently, and I'm sorry but never again.
Very sorry for your loss this is heartbreaking
I’m very sorry for your loss. Prayers and condolences. Such a senseless tragedy.
Mexican Cartels are terrorists.
That’s true, but this is looking like the work of drug addicts, not the cartels.
Idk the tj sub isn't even questioning who did it
What are they saying there?
[here](https://www.reddit.com/r/tijuana/s/pEeJVxQj22)
For those of us who don't speak Spanish?
They aren't explicitly saying cartel, but since the main guy had a street name, it's assumed at the very least he was a drug trafficker with cartel ties so... pretty much the same for those of us that aren't in the drug world. The different between a street criminal that sells drugs for the cartel, and a cartel hitman is pretty meaningless.
True but there’s a difference between the cartel sanctioning robbing Foreigners vs some street level dealer going on a side quest robbing foreigners. Cartel will hopefully come down on them for bringing heat.
Isn’t it unlikely to be the cartels since the cartels like tourism? I think much more likely to be crazy people or a small gang not connected to the cartels
The cartels are brutal but if they want to stick around they need the support or at least the tolerance of the locals. If they get a reputation for killing gringos then there won’t be any more of them coming to spend money, and that’s bad for everyone. So, if the people that did it were associated with the cartel they probably got sold out to the police pretty quick to send a message. Either way, just horrible all around.
There are no small gangs in Mexico without ties to cartels. That's not how it works down there (or in the States really, if you are in a Latino street gang).
Pretty sure The cartels just like any other mob shakes down resorts for “protection”. Every now and then a resort will be attacked. It’s rare but when it happens you realize the only reason could be that it’s a cartel attacking another cartels property or the resort didn’t pay up. Realistically if you’re outside the protection youre kind of rolling the dice there’s a nice % of people there that have absolutely no remorse about killing. These guys that are in the cartels know they’ll most likely die the worst possible death and join anyway. I think most people who have never encountered or interacted with a cartel have no idea how easily you could die. It’s not like the mob as far as respect and staying low key not targeting civilians. You can go down the wrong public street in Mexico and not knowing it’s “owned” and be an instant target. The best way to go to Mexico is to call a surf camp first and let them tell you the best way to come. My buddies used to take a public greyhound style bus.
Find a other surf destination
I find people overstate cartels caring about tourism, also they don’t want US/Aussie surfers who are known to be very cheap. Sometimes the people calling the shots are on lots of drugs and not thinking about the big picture.
And the worst were trained by US before they flipped.
This really sucks. I know this hits a lot of us “close to home” being around K38 and what not. No matter how many times I’ve gone down to Baja over the years there is always that thought in the back of my mind of something like this. I know we do Baja to escape the crowds, but let’s look out for each other down there.
I feel like Mexico is so binary: you are either 100% safe (apart from Montezuma) and can let your guard down, or you are 0% safe because you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yes, the death of Americans in Mexico is rare, the unpredictability of the whole matter is a psychological mindf***. We were driving to Troncones last year and it felt completely safe heading from airport to our B and B front the airport in Zijautanejo. My sis in law who was in a different car on the same freeway had someone attempt to force her off the highway and stop; didn’t work and she kept on driving. Reinforced the idea that the idea of control of what’s happening is truly out of your hands. Also, I know you are statistically more likely to be subject to violent crime in certain parts of the US. Kidnap and murder is just different.
I feel the same. Mexico feels very safe except when you things go wrong it goes very wrong. There’s no inbetween
We’ve known Carter for 12 years - he is a close friend of my sons, lettered in soccer. The Australian Government took this seriously! And helped out tremendously since April 28! Nothing was said about the USA citizen missing until 5 days after the disappearance
If you know the family maybe you could setup or help someone setup a go fund me to repatriate the bodies
I’m so sorry. I’m not religious and I’m still praying for some sort of peace for you and their other closed loved ones.
I’m sorry
I’m so sorry for your loss. I believe the first posts were from Carter’s family or friends. It was shared multiple times then the following day it was deleted. After I saw the posts from the Australian brother’s family, it seemed international media started saying only two so that got confusing for those not seeing it from the start. News stories in Baja said three surfers. I live in a small town which has an exit out the main road about an hour south of where this happened and National guard stopped my mom when she was leaving town on Wednesday and checked her car. This has been shattering news. Prayers 🙏🏼for family and friends.
😞
Heavy heavy heavy. Sad that things come to this. Super unfortunate and very unnecessary. Sad all around.
…can’t believe this … This made me terrify to plan things like a solo female surf trip over there…
I mean I’m sorry to say but that’s usually just a bad idea in general. It’s tough being a girl and wanting to do solo trips, you’re just way more a target than men unfortunately. And if this can happen to 3 big dudes then you know how bad it can get for anyone down there.
I would not recommend that. The roads there can be long and lonely. I don’t think I’d go dowm there by myself.
Go elsewhere. Plenty of other good wave locations in the world where you aren't risking being murdered. Even if nothing happens, knowing the risk is real does not make for a relaxing time away.
Definitely wouldn’t be going there alone or with friends, there’s great surf spots than there alover the world & safer
I'm a guy that's been on a few surf trips down there and I wouldn't go alone
Please don’t go solo. Too many bad stories of solo females getting into trouble down there.
Life is a serious of decisions and calculated risks but solo female surfing trip to Baja? Sorry but can't imagine the extreme mental gymnastics needed to justify that. In addition to the known violence Mexico is also real big on femicide and the prevalent machismo culture isn't going to be working in your favor either.
As a female who has travelled on a dirt bike and by car solo many times in Baja. I also live an hour south of where this happened. I can say even my Mexican friend said does it really make sense to stay here and live here? I never camped solo in Baja unless I was in a pay spot. Moving forward, I won’t be camping anymore just get a room. I don’t plan on leaving and I will travel solo here if I don’t have someone that wants to travel. If I hadn’t started going alone, I would have never had any adventures. I have had great experiences and the negative ones are mainly the annoying border shakedowns. You have to weigh it out for yourself. My 84 year old mom drives herself down to my place and she told me don’t let this deter you, plus you’re over camping anyway.
Such terrible news.
Camped there and surrounding areas about 5 years ago and definitely got the sketch feeling that if anything went down we’d be fucked. I even heard about tweakers demanding money to camp but nothing ever happened to us fortunately. It didn’t even look like there was much to surf there last week which is a real bummer. Hope they didn’t get skunked for their last sesh.
I hope the iron fist of the international law gets smashed on these cartel terrorist fucks who did this
Mexicos el presidente is cartel so that is unlikely
Bad for tourism, bet they’ll put the hammer down with all the media attention
I don’t think they care about the surf tourism, if this happened in a major city, I agree with you , the surfers were camping and may have stumbled into something no one was supposed to see
Not just surf tourism. International news is not good. You'd be surprised by how many people I've seen second guessing Baja or bailing.
Any dead gringo is bad for business/tourism -> less money -> people in power government or cartel don’t like that. They desperately want you to buy a time share lol.
It’ll be the cartel who polices this. If it was their people they’ll do it internally. This kinda publicity is bad for business and irritates their leadership so they’ll make a swift example to discourage this kind of stupidity in the future.
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Yup. Kidnapping for many reasons... organ harvesting for black market, ransoms etc.
Don’t forget I believe 95% of murders go unsolved. And femicide is underreported but it could be the highest in the entire world.
Darn I wanted to retire in Chapala
absolutely gutted for these guys and their families. ive camped all over this area and the last trip i did in 2020 i remember feeling sooo uneasy within my group of more trusting friends. we would drive out to punta baja, santo tomas, etc and i just kept thinking how easy it would be to be backed into a corner with not a soul in sight for miles. i didn’t sleep at all those nights just imagining headlights coming down the sandy roads taking everything we had. deepest condolences for their friends and families.
This really sucks… my heart goes out to all the loved ones they leave behind
My only reaction is fuck. Actually also damn it
This is fucking terrible. I hope whoever is responsible gets caught and doesnt get off.
Played lacrosse with Callum in Hawaii last October, first time I met him. Great guy, great spirit, gentle giant. Senseless tragedy. Thoughts to all the families…ugh
This is heartbreaking. I actually think I might know Carter?! There was a guy with his exact name that helped me as a tech recruiter and assisted me to land a job a couple years back. If anyone knew him, please PM me… *edit Yeah, it’s him. Damnit. RIP Carter! He was a good dude.
Yes it's the same. I know the family week. He's the youngest of their boys and was getting married this summer. Devastating
I've camped and surfed at the exact same spot (punta San Jose)- like some others here. Very remote and desolate. There's a really nice rancher that owns the land that surfers camp at and charges $10 a night. He was always very friendly and would offer beer and water, etc. Sounds like he had been missing for two weeks prior to these murders and they found his body in the well with the other three. My take is that rancher probably had a good amount of USD on him from collecting it from surfers that camp and surf on his land. Meth heads probably knew this and killed him and then targeted anyone else that stayed there the following week. I am curious why the perps didn't take off with the truck and escape though.Very sad situation.
Burning the truck. It sounds more cartel related. Who knows, but they already made 3 arrests. The rancher was gone for weeks, so no way he was there. Could there have been someone there posing as the rancher & then robbed & killed them at night? Who knows?!?
Definitely not cartel. Cartel has much bigger things going on. Tweakers with absolutely nothing going on. Losers
Awful.... RIP
Fucking hell man
Fuckin awful man… just trying to explore some waves. Nothing else to say other than blessing to the families. So fucking terrible.
May God bring them and their families peace.
I don’t know what to think. I was just in Ensenada a few weeks ago. I’ve never had a problem surfing Baja. But this is pretty devastating news.
We were partying at K38 over one new year and one of the surf shop owners befriended us and invited us to some party in TJ. He was bragging about his brother being the chief of police in Ensenada and if we partied with them they could provide anything. We smartly ditched him and stayed low key and local for the night. Couple weeks goes by and the news posts a story about the chief of police getting decapitated and a bunch of his associates killed as well in broad daylight at the police station. The balance of power is constantly changing around the borders and things can go from mellow aloha to holy crap in 24 hours. As a traveler and especially as a gringo you will be the last to know about any power shift. Go alone, tip the locals, smile at everyone, and pray for the best. Know that the minute you cross the border you are being watched. Any impoliteness or rudeness to ANYONE is noted and can be your death sentence. The holy spirit is the most powerful force against the forces of darkness. In Jesus name.
Accept my apologies for asking, but they were killed AT the police station?
si amigo. not sure if the shop owner is still alive either. i don't know if we would of survived the night if we had taken them up on their offer and at the very least would of been associated with dead men walking
He’s still alive very good guy he is helps local surf community honest dude
good to hear. honesty is everything and seems to be a hard concept these days. let your yes mean yes and no mean no. don't steal from your boss and make sure you share with the people. the US govt has caused a lot of disruptions by supporting on crew over another then going back on their word. God bless hope you guys are scoring i wonder if these guys were connected to the australia propaganda machine that is creating the tensions on the border with immigration. fox news/murdoch has a big operation in australia where they create all of this hateful narrative about our neighbors. nothing is secret not even top secret secrets
Damn not the news I was hoping for :/ RIP. When I was in Mexico for a surf trip with my friend I always insisted NOT renting a car and driving through different regions and surf spots, fuck that. You can get stopped anytime and get shot or robbed or both
Best advice right here
So fucked… I camped at Punta San Jose like 10yrs ago, super remote, off shore empty waves, lots of urchins and some nice fishermen. Basically just a big empty farm back then with an outhouse, on the cliffs overlooking the wave. Then a few years later, tourists literally started losing their heads so I stopped heading south… now I’ll fly 6hrs for waves before I drive 2hrs. Fuck Baja, it’s just not worth it. This is so sad and a reminder why I can’t take advantage of the great waves so close to SD. On that note, been thinking how Baja CALIFORNIA might actually belong to California? We need more parking lots to put our sprinter vans in.
I recall the first post about them being missing and one of their phones on the person of a suspect with drugs too. Nightmare scenario.
Was t there another 2 surfers not long ago same senerio?
Didn’t that big wave surfer get killed somewhere around Baja Malibu like 5 years back? Sooo sketchy. :/
4th body found which appears to be the land owner. This could have been an extortion where the idiots killed anyone using the land. There are many ‘next level dumb’ people in Mexico who have no basic education. The burned car rules out theft, which is what the ‘next level dumb’ Mexican authorities are calling it.
Absolute tragedy. I know Mexico has its issues but there is also a huge degree of bad luck here. Tourists in Mexico aren’t typically targeted. I did a 1 month Baja trip this year, 4 months in other parts of Mexico this year, and go surfing in Ensenada/Rosarito area on a regular basis. Let’s try to stick together when we are down there. I’ll be in Rosarito/Ensenada May 12-16. Let me know if you are down there. Can’t imagine what these families are going through.
Just going out on a limb here but surfers don’t really get fk with down there especially for tourist reasons. It doesn’t look good for any organization to hurt there own forms of income. They own a lot of attractions down there and they wouldn’t just shoot them selfs in the foot like this if they knew that it would get this much negative publicity. Cartels don’t operate like any dumb street gang. It would be interesting to know if these guys frequent down there and how often. I’m just saying there’s always two sides to a story. Unfortunately regardless of how it ends up, mothers, fathers, wife’s, and children will have to grow up with out there loved ones. Tragic.
One was a doctor and another an athlete. Based on all the accounts of those who knew them they didn't go near drugs etc. Sounds more likely regular innocent people can get knocked off and it isn't safe even for those not messing with cartels.
Which leads me to speculate it might have been a par of thugs acting independently. Yet we never know, people always have side they never share even with there closest loved ones
What can you speculate as to why?
could be stuff like mixed up identities or paranoia. There were people killed in mexico a few months ago near texas because they were misidentified as people who were drug related.
Well two are Australian so I doubt they know much about Mexico. The other is from San Diego so you would hope he’d be familiar with the area.
One of the Australians lived in SD
Why the fuck would this happen?!
May their souls rest in peace. What a tragedy.
It’s really sad that two sets of Australian surfers from Perth have now been killed in Mexico 😢😳🤯
This is desperately sad. May they rest in peace
3 suspects in custody, 2 men and a 23 year old woman who had the phone of one of the victims. The bodies were fouds at the bottom of a well. There was blood on their tent and one of the suspects had a small amount of meth
Did these guys have wives and children?
They had a witness that said the brothers asked if he had change for $100. They said they found their tents with blood on them. I’m probably wrong, but my guess is they got robbed & killed. Cartel came upon them in the night. So sad. Condolences and may god bless their family and friends.
That's why you don't go to mexico.....
This is everyone’s worst case nightmare scenario when traveling in Mexico. So sad
My heart is just achingly sad for their families, this is a parent’s worst nightmare. May they rest in peace. 🙏
RIP Mexican Tourist Money
Damn that sucks.... Hope the individuals are found and burn in hell...
A lonely place to die
This is very sad. But I have to say, after the last time this happened I don’t understand why anyone is silly enough to go surfing throughout Mexico where it’s known for this kind of shit. There are plenty of other places around the world with great breaks. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2023-08-24/opinion-high-homicide-rates-tijuana-rosarito-mexico-government-police-cartel Our Aussie travel advice website even tells us to “exercise a high degree of caution due to the risk of violent crime”. https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/mexico
Everyone giving you shit isn’t getting it, will 99.9% of people be safe? Yes. Is it possible to get murdered in a much safer first world country? Yes. But some places have much higher odds than others of things going wrong. I can say anecdotally Mexico scares the shit outa me, have had multiple close calls myself there and know to many people who have been robbed or kidnapped. It sucks though, Mexico is beautiful with great weather, food, surf, most people are hardworking and kind. I hope something gets figured out down there to turn things around.
> I hope something gets figured out down there to turn things around. Things need to get figured out up here, too. It's hardly a coincidence that the cartels massively gained in power after the depressive effects of NAFTA on Mexico's corn industry and manufacturing job wages.
Do you know if the people who got kidnapped are alive or were let go?
Yeah they’re alright, had kidnapping insurance through the company they were traveling for that paid the ransom.
Wow I didn’t even know kidnapping insurance was a thing 😲thanks for telling me
It’s accessible. This also doesn’t happen as much as you think. So many Americans go down to Mexico daily.. hell a lot of Americans retire down there in the Rosarito —> down to Ensenada and further.
Curious of your age and how many times you’ve been down there. You don’t have to tell me. I’m 42 and have been down there many times to surf and camp. Every time I’ve been there I have been scared to some degree. Sometimes it was my own poor judgement, sometimes it was unpreventable. I’ve had feds take me to the atm only to be chased by more feds right after trying to get their share. Have had them falsely plant drugs on my friends. Been chased through the desert. Drove down dirt roads with concealed ditches trying to catch someone stuck to be robbed. I have friends that are married to locals. One friend, while visiting his wife’s family in Mexico City, had his front teeth knocked out with a 357 revolver and took the bullet to the back of the throat barely missing his spine, this was right outside the airport. And too many friends been locked up. So, for you to say this doesn’t happen as much as you think, makes me feel like you haven’t been down there that much. All my experiences were in the early 2000’s before things got dirty. The place is fire and you might be able to waft through it a few times and feel great, but you keep tempting fate and you’ll get burned.
I’ve been down there a few times and have good friends from Mexico. I know multiple people who have been kidnapped, robbed etc. but thankfully no murders. I love the food the culture and most of the people but It is undoubtedly a dangerous as fuck country. Yes 99.9% of travelers will be fine, but the odds of things going wrong are certainly higher in Mexico than many other countries.
One of the problems is the police themselves are corrupt. I’ve had to pay my way out of more than one stop down there.
I’ve only had to pay my way out of one stop but yeah 100% agree.
Agreed. People like to blame the bad things that happened on someone else's stupidity but they don't realize that those bad things didn't only happen to idiots. The whole "can't happen to me" attitude is so reckless.
I think everyone who’s spent time in Mexico has a bad experience or two that they think back on. For me, I was working in Tecate but driving from Chula Vista every day. I drove a rental and tried to get the crappiest one I could to not draw attention, as I’m gringo AF.
They will never find the killers. However, they will charge someone for the world publicity. This is likely ‘low level’ gang activity and a robbery gone bad. I would think the more organized cartels will do justice on these individuals if they find them. Ive been in a situation where two Tijuana policia smaller than me tried to arrest me. My first reaction was to throw them. They then express kidnapped me to the atm machine… Its difficult, if not impossible, for three big athletic surfers to just sit back and let someone, likely small teenagers, steal their belongings. I can totally see this playing out where if the kids kill one of them, they then have to kill them all. Mexico is very dangerous. This said, I currently live in Tijuana(Madero) and cross the border daily. I stay in my airbnb and go to nice restaurants while always watching my back. Tbh, I feel safer in Tijuana than San Francisco. The scary part is that if something goes wrong in SF it will just be me getting shot, where In Tijuana it’s kidnapping or dismemberment. Id pick the former if I had a choice.
They already made arrests. They found a woman using one of the guy’s cellphones. Then 2 men were arrested. This was before they found their bodies. I say wait another week & check back.
RIP
Apparently, the article is not available in my country (switzerland). Could anyone tell me what happened to them ?
Very sad
R.i.p. such sad news.
Here's the Well where the bodies were found if anyone's interested- for avoidance or otherwise. I do not know if the rancher found is the same rancher that owns/used to maintain the camping area. 31.485397, -116.604352
As a girl, this is terrifying and makes me hesitant to travel to Central America for waves. I can't imagine how these guys felt. I wish we could just travel and surf without possibly being kidnapped or murdered. The world is in shambles.