One of the most famous hosts on the planet, especially for travelers of the eighties, nineties and early 2000s, Alamiro Abanto, nicknamed "The Man", died today of pneumonia, former FENTA and ALAS technical director Gaetano "Nino" Lauro told DUKE.

He was about ninety years old and had been receiving hundreds of the most brave and adventurous surfers on the planet who heard that the longest wave in the world was hidden in that corner of the planet.

Getting to Chicama was difficult a few years ago, staying there offered only one option: El Hombre.

“I met him around 1972. He called everyone who came here 'Hombre' and I think that's why he got the name he was known by. His wife was called Teresa and she was a very good person, very motherly with the surfers who came to the house,” says Nino Lauro.

“He was rather short, with a strong build, bowed legs and a moustache. He spoke slowly, typical of people from the north. He welcomed all the surfers into small rooms with a mat and a lot of enthusiasm,” adds Lauro.

“I arrived at his house for my honeymoon and he practically dragged his daughters out of their beds to accommodate me with my brand new wife. He told me many stories about the port, its inhabitants and the surfers who came from all over the world. When I was running out of money he would get me a ride to Paijan or exchange some things with us. I remember him with much love, affection and respect and I know that he is a great loss for world surfing. Rest in peace Alamiro Abanto, the true man of Puerto Chicama,” Lauro concludes in a message he sent to DUKE.