A surfer's rite of passage. The longest left on earth, maybe the longest wave on earth.
I spent the past weekend in Puerto Malabrigo (Chicama) Peru, arguably the longest wave in the world but definitely the longest left. I've been thinking of this wave for a long, long time since I really got obsessed with surfing. On flat days back home in California, I would watch the Magic Seaweed camera with endless lines in the sea at this spot. Now, most likely if you head to Chicama you won't catch the longest wave that's ever existed there, but considering many of the waves literally don't close out till they get to shore--- you're probably gonna catch the longest one of your life!
(My very spoiled self technically took longer rides out at the longest wave in Africa, my beloved Imsouane Bay BUT that was on a longboard, and in Chicama you can shortboard those beauties)
The key for my surfers scoping Chicama, is you really must arrive with some kind of swell for it to be worth your while// surfable. By "swell," you're gonna need 4-6 feet (1.2 - 1.5 m) minimum to make it possible to really shortboard. It is probably the softest little roller I've ever surfed, although it does have steep sections, so it's gonna feel completely different than any other wave you've surfed at equivalent size. I'm not a fan of big freaky waves, and this wave didn't scare me at all at 6 feet size. I'm still in Peru for a while-- I don't have a flight anywhere else...-- so the plan is definitely to return on another swell window and hopefully get Chicama over 2 meters!
Arriving at Chicama is ridiculously easy. You will likely be coming from the nearby city of Trujillo (and I would base yourself at the local world surf reserve town of Huanchaco, wow how convenient!), where I just waited at the corner across from the mall/ metro and caught a direct combi to Puerto Malabrigo. Really comfortable, although packed, 1.5 hour ride directly to the town for just about 2 dollars. I was literally tweaking when we showed up to the beach and it was just long lines, for miles to see out into the Pacific Ocean.
They paint the infamous wave on every surface in this town, hahaha
I got super lucky and booked the last room in Surf House Chicama, which is the place to BE if you're a surfer here! The owner Katia :) and the rest of the staff are so kind and have the place so dialed (good food, good surf photos, good vibes). If you look on booking.com, its on the pricier side because you have to book a single and there's no shared rooms. Ya girl got lucky and made a surfer friend up north in Lobitos, so we were able to share a room, and then got even more lucky and ran into a friend from Morocco so we ended up splitting the room three way! It came down to about 70 soles ($17) per person but for like the nicest place I've stayed in this journey with the most perfect balanced post- surf breakfast included eek!
If you're not traveling with boards, you gotta rent a wetsuit and surfboard here, which is on the pricier side for Peru (50 soles or $13 a day), but you have the most incredible selection of fish boards, shortboards, funboards, and logs. The key here with Chicama's softness is obviously more VOLUME boards, so it's so cool to switch and try different boards she has. I was stoked beyond belief!
boards for daysssss
Oh man, now to describe the surfing-- next level, if you get the right conditions! I did two full days of surf, with three sessions in each day, and this wore out every muscle in my body, from my sore feet from walking to my arms from being pumped by the current. My best session was admittedly my first one, when I got out on sunrise on Saturday morning, was the first surfer to touch the water up at the Cape, and on my third run I figured out how to ride the wave longggg. Never had I ever short boarded on a wave for more than 30 seconds, let alone a whole minute! I know in just this one weekend, I got more experience on my left/backside than in my surfing life so far, and boy it felt absolutely incredible! There were so many photographers up on the cliffs to capture some of the magic as well. It’s probably the first time I actually got enough time on the wave to feel that burn in the legs from pumping, up and down, and I’m super thankful for the time I’ve spent on the surf skate which I think made the transition to going left so much smoother. This wave was so incredible and the only thing that could possibly make me any happier was if it broke right instead— but then it wouldn’t be "la izquierda was larga del mundo" :)
The walk all the way out to the tippy point is about 30 minutes, along some not too sharp rocks and sand. I tried doing the walk on a sunny afternoon and it was too hot for my barefoot, but its ok on a cloudy day! Once you get to the point, the actually wave riding can take anywhere from 10 minutes to just 60 glorious seconds depending on how wisely you choose your waves. Then, its a 10 minute walk back up from where the wave ends. I found the walk to be pretty darn magical, just trotting along these huge sandy cliffs with endless lines in the sea in front of you. Some folks who are there to get as many waves as possible hire a boat for just 60 soles ($15) for 3 hours, which is a great deal but just not what I was looking for. Chicama was such an immersive experience in nature for me and I didn’t want to make it feel competitive with the boat drop off.
In terms of where you can take off from— lots of spots. You have the most outer point, which is where I guess the longest wave in the world would start. My favorite take off spot was the next farthest, called the Cape or the Key. I felt like this ride was the least crowded and most beautiful, so I happily did the 10 minute walk every time. Most surfers favorite spot is the next one, The Point, which takes off along a rock and is much steeper and barreling. There were more people here, but I definitely liked the power that this wave gave! (also, the entrance here is tricky! It’s a lot more paddling against current/oncoming waves, or you can take advantage of when you finish your wave in the Cape and paddle over to the Point to get the next section) Then, you can basically surf any other section of Chicama all the way to the pier, which in theory the longest wave would be the one that connects all the points I just listed!
The afternoons all get pretty windy out in Malabrigo, but it seems to stay offshore— favorable for surfing— almost the whole time, so that’s a plus! I am transfixed by glassy morning sessions so I tried to get as much surfing in by 9AM or 10 when the wind would start. Here you can see some pics of a heavy cross shore wind session that I had in the evening. So hard to just STAY on the wave with a short board because the wind made a soft wave even softer. But ridiculously beautiful to see how the wind sprayed the water 15 feet in the air as the sunset, surrounded by stoked surfers like me!
When not surfing in my few days in Chicama, I was resting and resetting with some delicious foods. Burgers and Brownies is the best food I’ve had in maybe any surf town! We’re talking a menu full of vegetarian arepas, brownies (Duh), burgers, and literally every comfort food you could imagine with some kind of healthy twist! The options are pretty limited in this town, so the only other place constantly open to eat was Mama Flores, a humble local spot that seemed to have everything taste delicious at just $3 or less. The town itself doesn’t have an ATM so come with your cash on hand.
the most beautiful commute to waves, like, ever
I can’t say I ventured far besides the surf in this one weekend, but I couldn’t help but feel over and over again that Saturday, my first day of surfing in Chicama, felt like Disneyland-type magic. My friends, if you love to surf because it’s beautiful, fun, and puts you closer to the raw beauty of nature: this is the wave for you! And I’ll be back reaaaaal soon :)
wilson flores photography
