Cover photo: After traveling around the world, Candelaria Resano will have an international event at her home in Nicaragua. Photo: ISA

It is confirmed: the waves of Nicaragua will once again host the ALAS Pro Tour circuit after more than eight years of absence. Between August 29 and 31, the waves of Azuchillo will host a three-star event that will warm up the run-up to a year-end that looks set to be hectic for the tour.

The Nicaraguan Surf Federation and ALAS confirmed to DUKE that the event will be taking place: “As president of the Nicaraguan Surf Federation, I cannot hide my excitement and pride in knowing that the ALAS circuit will be back in our country. Since the day I took office a year ago, we have worked tirelessly to make our vision of improving surfing in Nicaragua a reality, and seeing renowned international events return to our shores is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team,” said President Suyen Vargas.

The last time Nicaragua had been part of the ALAS tour was in July 2016 when a five-star event took place in Playa Hermosa, San Juan del Sur.

The event was won by Rafael Pereira and local Valentina Resano in open and by Jorge Luis Vilchez in Longboard and Luan Wood in Pro Junior.

Vargas, in contact with DUKE, highlighted the huge rise that surfing in his country has had in recent years with the first medal in an ISA world championship that Candelaria Resano achieved in 2023 and the subsequent Olympic qualification and points out that the return of international events is another milestone in this evolution.

He also highlighted the work of the federation’s board of directors, which includes big rider and power surfer Manny Resano and international judge Gianni Landolfi. “He has been a driving force behind the transformation of the surfing scene in the country. His leadership has inspired a generation of surfers and has put Nicaragua on the world surfing map. With his vision and determination, the future of Nicaraguan surfing looks bright and promising.”

Nicaragua has participated in the last ISA open and junior world championships with Candelaria Resano as the main exponent, but has also had expressive performances on the men's side.

At the 2021 ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador, Popoyo local Cesar Amador managed to finish one of the most competitive ISA World Surfing Games in history in the top 40.