Cover photo: Gabriel Villarán 

A backhoe damaged part of Señoritas and Caballeros, the two emblematic breaks of Punta Hermosa, Peru, yesterday, Monday, November 11, according to reports on social media by local surfers Gabriel Villarán, Miguel and Tomás Tudela and Joaquín del Castillo, among others.

The machine moved stones and sand, apparently to widen the road on the first line facing the sea.

In his video, Villarán says that no one in the El Silencio urbanization, grouped by the Association of Owners of the El Silencio Urbanization (APUES), was aware of this work.

The surfers mentioned said on more than one occasion on social media that the Señoritas and Caballeros waves are protected by the Law of Breakers and that any work that has to be done cannot affect the wave.

"ALERT! This afternoon they began work on expanding the runway at Señoritas y Caballeros beach and no one in the community and/or district of Punta Hermosa has any technical information about the work and its environmental and ecological impact on these beaches. This expansion is a serious threat to the waves at Señoritas y Caballeros and could cause irreversible damage. According to the information we have been able to find out, this work is intended to expand the number of meters of runway on a street with little traffic, at the expense of precious meters of beach, by creating retaining walls that will consequently grow towards the sea (rocks, materials, etc.), shortening the space between the sea and the beach. What the neighbors have been asking for and demanding for several years is to pave the street but not to expand it," wrote Villarán.

Residents of El Silencio informed DUKE that the Punta Hermosa municipality is closed these days.

In any case, tomorrow they called for a gathering at the town hall itself starting at 9am.

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A post shared by GABRIEL VILLARAN 🇵🇪 (@gabriel.villaran)

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A post shared by Tomas Tudela (@tomastudelach)