I watched the entire episode of the three-day swell marathon at Pico Alto that Gabriel Villarán filmed, and here at DUKE we covered that first swell that came in a few weeks ago and that made a 13-year-old boy ride some waves there, where Peruvian surfers aptly call El Templo.

These two facts, and many more, in a lifetime of covering surfing, only serve to further awaken my immense admiration for the pure surfing tradition of the Peruvian people.

Day after day, I followed the swell on social media, following what was happening in and out of the water. A couple of protagonists in Pico, Carlos Mario Zapata and Piero Sáenz, hit the water with a gang of groms, all well equipped and taking the necessary precautions.

And the groms seem excited to honor that tradition of temple surfing. And the groms end up riding some waves.

Something so beautiful to watch. They're bound to get some big scares, they're bound to get some big wipeouts, but they're building confidence and experience in one of the most difficult areas of surfing: riding big waves.

And this is why I love Peruvian surfing, because being a surfer there isn't just about catching some waves and doing maneuvers, but rather completing the whole package: Surfing well, with good fundamentals, the small and medium waves, getting in the barrels at Cabo Blanco or the many barrel waves that are abundant in the country, and riding big waves at Pico Alto, Peñascal, or El Paso.

Ultimately, these little kids, or young men, end up doing more than most surfers on the planet by the age of 12 to 16. And not only that, they do it very well!

It's great that the big boys support the younger ones and show them the way. Classy surfers creating classy surfers, and precisely generating what's called tradition, lineage, and creating a pure strain of world-class surfers.

This is why they go to Hawaii and are confidently descending Pipe and hitting the tubes in the Mecca.

Surfers have a deep sense of passing on their legacy as part of their surfing lives. And this didn't start now, but in the 1960s. The torch has always been passed as a beautiful gesture of compatriots, a gesture of community, of unity. In a surfing world that prides itself on being selfish, here's a little proof that it isn't necessarily so.

That temple vibe, of devotees who come to honor it and bring the little ones to be part of its magic, is something I find fascinating.

May that tradition never stop.

-The temple is honored: https://dukesurf.com/al-templo-se-lo-honra/

-Yago Domínguez also secured a spot in the challengers: https://dukesurf.com/yago-dominguez-tambien-se-garantizo-en-los-challengers/

-Gilmore, Fanning and Ho surfed the Icon Series at Bells: https://dukesurf.com/gilmore-fanning-and-ho-surfed-the-icon-series-at-bells/

-Brisa reached the round of 16, Nadia fell to the elimination round: https://dukesurf.com/brisa-se-metio-en-octavos-nadia-cayo-a-ronda-de-eliminacion/

-A series of three international events is coming up in Chicama and Huanchaco: https://dukesurf.com/se-viene-una-seguidilla-de-tres-eventos-internacionales-en-chicama-y-huanchaco/

-Overdosis of enjoyment in Pavones: https://dukesurf.com/sobredosis-de-goce-en-pavones/

-Keoni Lasa and Adur Amatriain are already guaranteed in the 2025 Challengers: https://dukesurf.com/keoni-lasa-y-adur-amatriain-ya-estan-garantizados-en-los-challengers-2025/

-Camilo and Guille faced The Thing: https://dukesurf.com/camilo-y-guille-encaran-la-cosa/

-Nick Carroll: “This is the worst Bells forecast I’ve ever seen”: https://dukesurf.com/nick-carroll-este-es-el-peor-pronostico-para-bells-que-jamas-vi/

-The Pico Alto event has been given the green light: https://dukesurf.com/dieron-luz-amarilla-para-el-evento-de-pico-alto/

-These are the guests at Lobos por Siempre: https://dukesurf.com/estos-son-los-invitados-al-lobos-por-siempre/

-The five most notable moments of the Surf City El Salvador Pro according to the WSL: https://dukesurf.com/los-cinco-momentos-mas-marcantes-del-surf-city-el-salvador-pro-segun-la-wsl/

-All the great waves at the Surf City El Salvador Pro: https://dukesurf.com/todas-las-olas-excelentes-del-surf-city-el-salvador-pro-2/

-Catalina set a record for the highest total score in the South American junior pro: https://dukesurf.com/catalina-hizo-record-a-la-sumatoria-mas-alta-en-la-pro-junior-sudamericana/

-There are the Bells series: https://dukesurf.com/estan-las-series-de-bells-2/

-A good one for Olympic surfing: https://dukesurf.com/una-buena-para-el-surfing-olimpico/

-Olympic surfing in LA 2028 will be in Lowers: https://dukesurf.com/surfing-olimpico-en-la-2028-sera-en-lowers/

-Sandino's Return: https://dukesurf.com/el-regreso-de-sandino/

-Jordy Smith's first time at Punta Roca: https://dukesurf.com/la-primera-vez-de-la-vida-de-jordy-smith-en-punta-roca/

-This is how Argentina is lining up for the Chicama South American Championship: https://dukesurf.com/asi-forma-argentina-para-el-sudamericano-de-chicama/

-Cibilic, Huxtable, Shannahan and Harrison are the wildcards in Bells: https://dukesurf.com/cibilic-huxtable-shannahan-y-harrison-son-los-wildcards-en-bells/

-Marco Mignot: “I have the Mexican spirit and nobody can take that away from me”: https://dukesurf.com/marco-mignot-tengo-el-espiritu-mexicano-y-eso-nadie-me-lo-quita/

-Lineup acquired the Chilean website Buscaolas: https://dukesurf.com/lineup-adquirio-la-chilena-buscaolas/

-Photos of the third of the Costa Rican circuit: https://dukesurf.com/las-fotos-de-la-tercera-del-circuito-tico/

-In solid waves in Jacó, the third Costa Rican national competition took place: https://dukesurf.com/en-dos-dias-de-olas-solidas-en-jaco-se-realizo-la-tercera-del-nacional-tico/

-With Punta Roca working, powerful and fundamental surfing won: https://dukesurf.com/con-punta-roca-funcionando-gano-el-surfing-poderoso-y-de-buenos-fundamentos/

-Celebrations, words, and Jordy and Gabriela's winning waves: https://dukesurf.com/festejos-palabras-y-las-olas-ganadoras-de-jordy-y-gabriela/

-Greg Browning passed away: https://dukesurf.com/fallecio-greg-browning/

-The best photos from the final day of the Surf City El Salvador Pro: https://dukesurf.com/las-mejores-fotos-del-dia-final-del-surf-city-el-salvador-pro-3/

-Jordy Smith and Gabriela Bryan won in El Salvador: https://dukesurf.com/jordy-smith-y-gabriela-bryan-ganaron-por-primera-vez-en-el-salvador/

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