Note sponsored by Surftrip.uy - All photos by Anderson Vidal

There are few places in the world that have so many waves and such a variety concentrated in such a short stretch of coast as Punta Hermosa. It is literally a North Shore of Oahu in Peru; in the few kilometers that join Caballeros with Kontiki, depending on the day, waves of 20 centimeters break, mountains of 10 meters and everything in between; to the left and to the right.

And if you add the neighboring waves of Punta Negra (Punta Rocas and Explosibles), San Bartolo (Peñascal, Muellecitos, El Huayco) and the sandbars of San Pedro, more than a North Shore, we are talking about an entire Hawaii.

Below we take a tour of some of the main waves in the area, from north to south:

Gentlemen

Perfect right-hand point that can hold quite a bit of water, although it is ideal when the sea is moderate.

If you manage to connect from the outside to the final section close to the shore, the route is more than 200 meters.

The double section that breaks below is unique, a maneuvering room; it seems that Slater's pool was inspired by that section when it was built.

Every now and then, with a lot of luck, a tube or two comes out.

Ladies

Left point, at the end of the bay that divides Caballeros from Señortias. That is, if you stand facing the sea in the middle of the beach, to the left you will see Señoritas and to the right, Caballeros. In the middle there are no waves breaking and you can paddle from one wave to the other, approximately 800 meters separate one wave from the other.

Pacharacas

It is the right of Señoritas, on the other side of the rocky point. It is a good option for when Señoritas and Caballeros is very crowded. From the outside it seems that it is not going out, but something always comes out.

Pico Alto

One of the most special big waves on the planet; not only is it consistent by the standards of the world's top big waves, but it's also long; several of the best surfers who have traveled to other countries emphasize that Pico Alto has sections to ride and it's not just about doing the drop.

It is no coincidence that he was part of the WSL world big wave circuit several times.

It breaks there, approximately a kilometer from the beach.

It's a wave for experts only.

Playa Norte

One of the beaches of Punta Hermosa locals offers the possibility of surfing something similar to a beach break in the land of pointbreaks. The reality is that in any case there are series ordered by group of stones that surround the beach.

A wave not as perfect as its neighbors but extremely fun and powerful.

An excellent option for a quick surf, for thinking about surfing several short waves with ramps and for thinking about aerials and other radical maneuvers.

Step

A train of powerful, tubular right-handers. If we rank the level of heaviness and danger, El Paso takes second place behind Pico Alto in Punta Hermosa. It maintains its size, even a triple overhead, and unloads all its energy in a small space.

To add drama, it breaks in front of a group of unfriendly rocks, which is where you end up if you take a big set on your head.

It is the perfect course to combine big tubes with big maneuvers. Gabriel Villarán and Sebastián Gómez, to name two locals, are specialists in the wave.

A traditional and very entertaining championship was held there for several years, in which several adrenaline-filled moments were experienced.

The Island

A wave of international level that goes unnoticed on an international level; Californians talk about Lowers as if it were the epitome of a high-performance wave and it seems that they have never been to the central wave of Punta Hermosa.

Long, steady, perfect right-hand walls break one after the other, and often with few people in the water.

Surfing two waves from the point to the end of the wave at La Isla can give most surfers in the world the best session of their lives.

People from Punta Hermosa gather on the La Isla promenade, it is a meeting point for families, children and, of course, surfers.

On the edge at the beginning of the beach, several of the best talents in the area and, of course, in the world have learned to surf.

Kontiki

The classic Peruvian big wave that speaks clearly of the tradition that the activity has in the country; the classics, Felipe Pomar, Miguel Plaza, Joaquín Miro Quezada, just to mention a few, surfed Kontiki because it is an outer reef and, without leashes that had not yet been invented, the boards would not hit the rocks.

The situation was different in other spots on the coast, where a fall would almost certainly result in breaking the board against the rocks on the shore.

Kontiki grows huge and is a wave of weight.

It has experienced a kind of decline in visitors with the invention of the leash and other breaks receiving more people on those busy days when a partner is worth a life, but it remains one of the most legendary big waves in the history of surfing.

The wonder of neighboring waves

If you get tired of surfing in what is strictly Punta Hermosa (something that is difficult to happen), the options are huge.

In the north, it is worth mentioning two waves in passing: the San Pedro waves and, in the capital, when there is sea, La Herradura (urban Indonesia) and a long etcetera.

To the south: Punta Rocas, Explosibles, Peñascal, Muellecitos, Chilca and a long etcetera that does not stop.