Special coverage of surfing in Lima 2019 is presented by Surf School Tubes

Along with Makaha, Malibu, Sunset and not many others, Punta Rocas is one of the most legendary waves in the history of surfing. Suffice it to say that the second (or first?) world championship was held there, which crowned the legendary Felipe Pomar.

It was a training ground for the golden generation of Peruvian surfing and was later the stage for other world championships, Pan-American championships, QSs, but above all it is a perfect wave, super consistent and powerful.

In 2014, when the ISA celebrated the 50th anniversary of its world tournaments, the event's official photographer, one of the best surfing photographers in Latin America, Rommel González, stopped to capture the beauty of the wave.

With the announcement of the inclusion of surfing in Lima 2019, those images of Rommel took center stage again.

This is what he had to say about the postcards you see here:

Please tell us what you did in that tournament, what your responsibilities and daily goals were.

In 2014, the ISA celebrated its 50th anniversary with a World Surfing Games here in Peru, in Punta Rocas. I was one of the photographers who covered the heats daily with Michael Tweddle.

We had been covering the ISA World Championships for more than four years and this was a very special event. Hundreds of photos a day, with two-shift editions and at the end of the day. It is actually a fast pace but very rewarding, especially when the sea is perfect, as it was during that World Championship.

In the photo album that the ISA has for this event, these works of art of Punta Rocas line-ups abound. Why were you so inspired to take line-ups?

It was two days of perfect waves and my first time seeing Punta Rocas in an epic way. Wave after wave, endless, the sky in Lima clear for the time of year and surfers at their best; so I had to leave the 600 and took the 70-200. I went to the other end, where there were no photographers or spectators. I wanted to see Punta Rocas from another angle, a new angle for me, trying to show those days full of perfection.

What were you trying to show in those photos?
The perfection of Punta Rocas. Something I had only heard about but had not yet seen or enjoyed.

What do you like about photographing there and what don't you like?

Punta Rocas is a big, strong wave and it always breaks far away. So to get good photos, you either get close to get the best maneuver, or you get far away to compose with the set of waves. I like it when it's big and perfect. I don't like it when it's small because it doesn't show its true face.

When you look at the photos now, how do you feel about your work?
I think I was able to stop time for a moment. A perfect moment of one of the best waves in Peru. I feel a bit sad that I can no longer take surf photos as often as before. I can no longer travel following perfect waves. Every so often I entertain myself in my archives and look at photos from some of the ISA World Championships I went to and it was actually a perfect time for a surf photographer. I don't know if I can still call myself that now but for several years I was chasing that dream.

Is there any of these photos that is your favorite?
I don't think I have a favorite because between them all they show that Punta Rocas is an epic place.

The line-up photos are a dream come true, don't you think?
Now, when I travel and come across perfect waves, I only take photos of line-ups. They are the best proof that paradises exist.