The 1968 World Surfing Championship truly put Rincón on the map. Most of the competitions were held at Domes Beach and what was known then as Rincón Point. As the surfers got to know and like Maria Garcia, they dubbed the area “Maria’s Beach.” To this day, the name has endured and Maria’s family continues her legacy of hospitality to local and traveling surfers visiting Maria’s beach. That’s why when the organizers of Rincón 50 Surf Fest announced their event, Maria’s grandson Russ and his family knew they had to be a part of the festivities and offered to host the surfing legends as the event’s official VIP location. The family welcomed many of the same surfers who got to know Maria during their competition 50 years prior.
Daryl Acevedo, Maria’s great-grandson, was so proud to share in this historic event feeling a bit closer to a woman he never had the opportunity to meet.
“Being able to help welcome the Legends of the 1968 World Surfing Competition was such an amazing experience for me. It was very humbling to hear stories of how my great-grandmother Maria and grandfather Ramon were held in such high esteem in the Rincon Surfing community. Watching these surfing legends interact with each other and recount memories of their time in Rincon was an incredible delight. Having a surfing competition this year on the same beach was of course very nostalgic for the five legends there. I was able to sit on the beach with David Nuuhiwa as he regaled me with surfing stories and critiqued the techniques of the competitors. He would point out the fundamentals of surfing just as if he was giving a master class. One thing I’ll never forget is the humility and the friendliness of these legends. These men are truly Rock Stars in the surfing community and yet they were more than happy to sign autographs, take pictures, and talk to anyone who asked. The fact that my family has a part to play in the legacy of Rincon Surfing is something that I am incredibly proud of. I was honored to be able to host the legends for lunch receptions at Maria’s every day of the competition and I look forward to watching multiple generations of surfers surf off of Maria’s Beach in the future.” – Daryl Acevedo
My husband and I had our wedding and reception at Maria’s. We rented the property for three days/nights. We wanted to make our destination wedding as accessible as possible for our family and friends. Maria’s was the perfect place. Twelve of our closest friends and family shared the house. I was so impressed that Maria’s had everything we needed, even little things like laundry detergent.