The Surf Window

Cabo Blanco

Piura, Peru

Point breakAdvanced

In northern Peru near Talara, Cabo Blanco is where Ernest Hemingway came to fish for marlin and where the Humboldt Current creates one of South America's most classic and consistent point breaks on a wild desert coastline.

Typical Conditions

The Surf Window

Swell Window

N
OptimalW (270°)
WindowSSW–NNW (210°–330°)
Size–W 1.5–3m at 14–18s

Wind

SE

Light to S under 15 knots

Tide

Mid tide

LowMidHigh

Season

Mar–Oct

JFMAMJJASOND

The Wave

Type

Point break

Bottom

Rock and sand

Shape

Long right-hand point break, multiple sections

Length

200–500m

Skill Level

  • •Who it's for: Intermediate to advanced
  • •Why: Long powerful point requires surfing fitness and rail work

Hazards

  • •Rocky point, careful entry and exit
  • •Cold water from the Humboldt Current
  • •Can get very big in big swell periods

Local Tips

  • •Hemingway fished here in the 1950s, the film "The Old Man and the Sea" was inspired partly by this coast
  • •The Fishing Club from the Hemingway era still exists
  • •The desert backdrop is dramatic, the contrast between sand dunes and ocean is stunning

Location

Map showing the location of Cabo Blanco in Piura, Peru

-4.2500, -81.2833