The Longest Left

Behold: Chicama, Peru, the longest lefthand wave in the world.

I´d been surfing in Huanchaco for about a week and was just starting to get some paddling strength back when I heard a rumor that the swell was on its way up, and that Chicama might be working... So I packed my bags and headed north. And it was working - two days of headhigh, offshore perfect surf at the worlds longest left. It was freakish luck for me really considering it only works for a handful of days a year.

Its one incredible wave. There´s two main ´sections´ - both over 1 km long. The first (southern) section (called¨The Cape¨) is ´fairly´ long (1km or so), and the days I was there it was up to shoulder high or so, ranging from mushy to fast and wally along that 1 km, with no paddling required. You just jump off the rocks and the current sweeps you down the beach. If you don´t get any waves you drift that 1 km in about 20 minutes, so if you happen to jump off the rock during a lull and want to wait at the take off point for a wave, you better have some strong paddling arms boy. I just let myself drift.

At the very end of the south section the wave hits some shallow rocks - at low tide and with the swell small you have to paddle around these. (unless you want to walk back to the Cape again). With the drift helping you this takes about a minute. Then you´re sitting at ¨The Point¨ - the take off point for the second and better section.

A lucky lad heads for the point

The point is bigger, faster and more hollow with plenty of barrels on the bigger sets. It has a friendly take-off though, its very easy to paddle onto here - even for a kookus like me. The wave from here winds on down to the pier 1.6km away. Some sections are fat, some hollow and fast, its like 20 different waves all in one.

When I was there it was possible on some bigger waves to ride from the point to the pier on one wave - 1.6km in about three minutes. Though I didn't see anyone do it. The bigger and better section is the first half from the point, so most people just ride that, ride the whitewater to the beach, and then walk back to the point.

Here's a couple of pics I´ve done my best to stitch together on a very third world computer to show how long it is. Click on the photos to make them bigger....

Chicama MKI - The Cape to The Point

Chicama MKII - The Point to the Peir

Apparently in the odd freakish huge conditions the wave breaks from the Cape all the way through to the pier. The longest I managed to stand on my feet was a hundred metres or so, (I´m blaming my dodgy booties for exaggerating my kookiness.... but whatever....) but it doesn't matter if you fall off lots, you don't even need to paddle back out really, you just wait for the next wave and continue the ride.... awesome stuff.