South America is blessed with a great coastline exposed to both the Pacific Ocean on the west side and Atlantic Ocean on the east side. No matter the time of the year, there is certainly a place with perfect waves somewhere in South America. Here a the 4 best countries to visit on a surf trip to South America…

Chile

Chile is a great country to visit on a surf trip to South America with surf towns like Pichilemu which can rival with some of the world’s greatest surfing destinations. With a long, rugged coastline, Chile has several uncrowded point breaks that will please any type of surfers.

Surfing in Chile can also get pretty wild, specially during winter season, as enormous south swells come from the Pacific. Tow-in surfing is sometimes the only way to conquer some of those giant waves…

Another gem that could be considered as part of Chile is the mysterious Easter Island, located several hundred miles off the coast. Easter Island has some awesome waves with barely anyone out.

Peru

Peru not only is a great country to surf in South America, it also is home of the world’s longest wave! In fact, Chicama (pictured above) is a point break that can run for several miles when conditions line up perfectly. The best time to surf Peru is from April to October as south swells make their way up the Peruvian coast.

Read our complete surfing guide to Chicama, Peru

Ecuador

Ecuador is a wonderful surfing destination with great weather, consistent waves and cheap cost of traveling. Montanita is probably the country’s best surf town and many surf camps and surf schools can be found in the area. For the most adventurous surfers, Galapagos Islands also have great waves and remain a very special place to surf in South America.

Brazil

Brazil has the longest coastline in South America, making it a prime surfing destination on the continent. The country is exposed to south and north swells coming from the Atlantic Ocean with two distinct surfing seasons.

From May to October, swells come from the south, making the whole southern end of the country turn into a wave machine. From November to April, north swells roll into the northern coast, including the Fernando de Noronha archipelago. 

With so many surf spots and year round swells, it’s easy to see how surfing legends such as Gabriel Medina, Filipe Toledo and Adriano de Sousa all come from Brazil.

Read our complete surfing guide to Rio de Janeiro

The post 4 Best Countries to Surf in South America appeared first on My Wave Finder.

From river bores to endless point breaks, we’ve rounded up the world’s longest surfable waves that are totally worth the journey.

Pro tip! To find your perfect wave, try our WaveFinder search engine!

Scorpion Bay, Baja California, Mexico

Key Info:

• Wave Type: Right-hand point break

• Ride Length: Up to 1.2 km

• Best Season: June to October

• Best Swell: Southern Hemispheric swells

• Crowd Factor: Low to moderate due to remote location

In the dry heat of Baja California’s desert is hidden one of the world’s longest waves…Scorpion Bay is an amazingly long surfing wave that has 4 to 5 distinct points and takeoff spots. When a decent-size swell lines up properly and hits Baja California’s coastline, this wave becomes one of North America’s longest point break.

Its remote location and lack of infrastructure also prevents it from being overcrowded. Definitely worth the trip…

Read our surfing guide to Baja California Sur, Mexico

Pavones, Costa Rica

Key Info:

• Wave Type: Left-hand point break

• Ride Length: Up to 1 km

• Best Season: April to October

• Best Swell: SW

• Crowd Factor: Moderate

On the southern end of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast is located this small town which is home to one of Central America’s best and longest wave…

Being so remotely located, Pavones is somehow sheltered from most of the heavy crowds that can be found further up north. On a good southwesterly, this is point break peels nicely providing waves as long as a few hundred meters.

Read our complete guide to Pavones, Costa Rica

Pororoca

Key Info:

• Wave Type: Tidal bore (river wave)

• Ride Length: Up to 12.5 km

• Best Season: March and September (full moon & equinox)

• Crowd Factor: Very low

• Risk Factor: High (debris, water hazards)

This tidal wave located in the Amazon River is only surfable twice a year when conditions align. When it does, it is a fast, dangerous river wave that can sometimes reach 12ft+ in size. Due to the extreme conditions that come with it, this wave is not suitable for everyone.

With a proper technique, equipment and support team, one can catch a wave and ride it for as long as 10km! The record for the longest ride at the Pororoca is just under 40 minutes for an astonishing 12,5 kilometers total length.

Also read: The World’s 10 Best Right-Hand Waves

The Bono Tidal Bore

Key Info:

• Wave Type: Tidal bore (river wave)

• Ride Length: Up to 10 km

• Best Season: Late September to early November

• Crowd Factor: Extremely low

• Tip: Hire a local boat guide

Similar to the Pororoca, The Bono tidal wave is also a river surfing spot located in the Indonesian Kampar River.

Almost 100 km away from the sea, this wave is also very fickle and only works under some precise tidal conditions. Surfing tour companies even offer their services to help surfers catch the longest wave of their life!

Also read: The 10 Biggest Waves In The World

Superbank, Gold Coast, Australia

Key Info:

• Wave Type: Right-hand sand-bottom point

• Ride Length: Up to 1,5 km

• Best Season: February to April (Cyclone season)

• Best Swell: E to SE

• Crowd Factor: Very high

Coolangatta, at the southern end of Gold Coast, Queensland, is home to one of the world’s longest and most consistent wave. This one definitely is not a hidden gem but still deserves a great spot on our countdown for its remarkable length and quality. On a good cyclone swell, one can surf from Snapper Rocks all the way down to Kirra, an insane 1.5 km ride.

Raglan, New Zealand

Key Info:

• Wave Type: Left-hand point break

• Ride Length: 600m to 1 km

• Best Season: March to October

• Best Swell: SW

• Crowd Factor: Moderate to high

First put on the map by cult surf film “Endless Summer” in 1966, Raglan quickly became New Zealand’s best surf town. It is also home to the country’s longest wave.

Read our complete surfing guide to Raglan, New Zealand

The surf spot that made Raglan famous is Manu Bay, just a short drive out of town. On an epic day, this wave connects all the way from Indicators, the furthest peak, into Whale Bay and finishes in Manu Bay for a filthy leg-burning ride.

Skeleton Coast, Namibia

Key Info:

• Wave Type: Left-hand sandbar

• Ride Length: Up to 2 km

• Best Season: May to October

• Best Swell: Strong SW swells

• Crowd Factor: Low (but competitive)

• Warning: Very fickle and difficult to access

Hands down, the world’s longest barreling wave is right here in Skeleton Bay, Namibia. This wave is very fickle and doesn’t work all that often. However, when it does…dear lord! Many South Africans make the trip up here when big swells show up on the radar. Even then, only a few of those swells are actually gonna line up properly for Skeleton Bay.

Read our complete surf guide to Namibia

Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa

Key Info:

• Wave Type: Right-hand point break

• Ride Length: Up to 1 km

• Best Season: May to September

• Best Swell: SW to SSW

• Crowd Factor: High

• Skill Level: Intermediate to advanced

Not only is Jeffrey’s Bay one of the world’s longest wave, it also probably is one of the five best waves on the planet, period. This point offers everything from long, fast walls, barrel sections and even some ramps to aim for the sky. Definitely not for beginners…

Chicama, Peru

Key Wave Info:

• Wave Type: Left-hand point break

• Ride Length: Up to 4 km

• Best Season: May to September

• Best Swell: SSW

• Crowd Factor: Moderate

• Bonus Tip: Local boats will tow you back to the lineup!

With a filthy length of 4 km, Chicama is known as the world’s longest wave! Located near a small fishing village in the north of Peru, Chicama needs a decent SSW swell to peel nicely down the point. When it does, the wave is so long that boats are up for hire to get you back to the takeoff spot…

Read our complete surf guide to Chicama, Peru

The post The World’s 9 Longest Surfing Waves appeared first on My Wave Finder.

• Summary

• When to go

• Where to stay

• Surf Camps

• Getting there

• Safety/Things to know

• Surf spots

Summary

Welcome to Chicama, home of the longest wave in the world. In the northern Peruvian desert, a bit more than 50 miles away from Trujillo, is the small surf town of Chicama. Its reputation is uncontested and attracts surfers from around the world ever since it was discovered a few decades ago.

 
This gentle wave is very accessible even for beginners as it never really gets too heavy. It stays a long, smooth peeling wave that’s very pleasant to ride. There are a few sections that only connect on bigger swells but even when they don’t, the rides remain very long.

To find the best surfing destination for you, try our WaveFinder search engine!

 
The big downside to surfing Chicama is having to paddle all the way back to the peak as well as fighting currents. Locals didn’t take long to figure out there was a demand for boat-lifts taking you from the end of the wave back to the take-off zone. It is up to you  to decide if you enjoy that kind of surfing or if you rather stick to paddling.

When to go

Although swells are pretty consistent throughout the year, the best time to surf Chicama is from April to November as it takes a fairly solid SW swell to wrap around the point and line-up nicely.
 

Where to stay in Chicama

Delfines de Chicama and Chicama Boutique Hotel are two great hotels very well located in Chicama.

Browse our interactive map to find your dream place to stay on a surf trip to Chicama!

Surf Camps in Chicama

7-day Full Surfing Camp in Barranca, Peru

• 7 days of activities
• At least 2 surf lessons per day
• Chan Chan ruins and Paramonga fortress tours
• Certified surf guides and professional drivers
• 6 nights accommodation
• Airport transfers and transportation within the trip
• Daily delicious Peruvian meals

Getting there

The big international airport is in Lima from where you can transfer by bus or plane to Trujillo. Chicama is about an hour drive away from Trujillo.

Safety/things to know

• For more information, visit the tourism department official website.
• This part of Peru is one of the driest place on Earth. Do not expect much rain 🙂

Surf spots in Chicama

Chicama (Puerto Malabrigo)

• Wave direction : Left
• Bottom : Sand
• Best tide : Any
• Skill level : Any
• Optimal swell direction : SW
• Optimal wind direction : E

El Hombre

Located further up the point from Chicama’s main take-off zone, El Hombre is the more powerful and critical section of the wave.

• Wave direction: Left
• Bottom: Sand
• Best tide: Mid to high
• Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
• Optimal swell: SW
• Optimal wind: E

La Punta

The most consistent take-off zone and usually the starting point of most Chicama rides. When the swell is big enough, you can link from La Punta all the way through the next three sections.

• Wave direction: Left
• Bottom: Sand
• Best tide: Any
• Skill level: All levels
• Optimal swell: SW
• Optimal wind: E

El Point

On the biggest days, you can ride all the way to El Point, the most inside section of Chicama. The wave here softens out, offering cruisy walls perfect for cutbacks.

• Wave direction: Left
• Bottom: Sand
• Best tide: Any
• Skill level: All levels
• Optimal swell: SW
• Optimal wind: E

The post Chicama, Peru appeared first on My Wave Finder.