Cuco still smiles as he remembers the day the whole beach erupted in cheers.

A local fisherman who was born and raised right here in Nayarit, he spends most of his days—and also, some nights—plying the waters of Banderas Bay in the hopes of reeling in fish.

Sea bass, snapper, tuna, mahi mahi—they all swim freely in cobalt water that lines the Nayarit coast.


On this particular day, Cuco had spent the morning catching fresh fish, and then motored off the shore of Conrad Punta de Mita to bring the fish directly to the beach for a zarandeado beach barbecue.


The surf, however, had grown pretty big, and it would just be too tricky to maneuver his boat in between the crashing waves. Cuco, however, had seen this before, so he loaded his fish up into a bag, left the boat in charge of his mate, jumped over the side, grabbed the bag, and swam the fish in to shore.


Seeing the fisherman’s dedication, the entire group that had gathered for the meal sent up a thunderous applause. Standing there with the sun on his shoulders, he handed the freshly caught fish to the chef, who then quickly set to covering it in spices and cooking it over the sand. Slowly roasted over an open flame in the local zarandeado style, the preparation is a guest favorite—and also Cuco’s favorite style.