Best place in Peru to visit in May for a beginner?

[Dymytry]

Greetings folks!

Need some advice about South America and specially Peru. I want to visit Brasil and Peru in May or June. As far as I understand its not easy to find surfing places in Brasil for the beginners. So I plan to surf in Peru. But could you give me advice about where I should go in Peru and how much the lessons cost? Is it ok speaking only English there? What about the weather? I have googled a number of pictures of surfers dressed in that diving-suit-like clothes while surfing.

Ant suggestions?

[jaffa1949]

Greetings folks!

Need some advice about South America and specially Peru. I want to visit Brasil and Peru in May or June. As far as I understand its not easy to find surfing places in Brasil for the beginners. So I plan to surf in Peru. But could you give me advice about where I should go in Peru and how much the lessons cost? Is it ok speaking only English there? What about the weather? I have googled a number of pictures of surfers dressed in that diving-suit-like clothes while surfing.

Ant suggestions?

I'm really worried about you Dymytry, you obviously have little knowledge of surfing. The surfers in those diving- suit-like clothes are wearing WETSUITS You will need a WETSUIT in Peru as the Humboldt current there has nut freezing water.
It also has one of the longest fetches of ocean pointing at it. I therefore strongly suggest that you avoid the west coast of Peru as it can be huge. You are more likely to find easy surf and schools in Brazil than Peru.
Do a little homework and learn some of the basic language of the country you are going to, give and get respect.

For your level of surfing the east coast of Peru might be the go.
Seriously, have a look at Surfing Waves itself and the Stormrider Guides.
Try using the search button and here is link within this forum viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16467
For your level of surfing the east coast of Peru might be the go.

[behindThePeak]

if you're going to peru, pick up a Boz. best "diving-suit-like clothes" you can get for the money.

i was at miraflores a few years back and it was pretty user friendly...

as far as language: traveling in SA you've usually got choices: speak more spanish, or spend more money. there tends to be an inverse relationship between the two.

[Dymytry]

Guys, thank you for replies!

Unfortunately I dont speak Spanish

But may be Jaffa is right and its better for me to surf in Brasil? Its warm and I will visit Rio anyway. Can you advice me some place for beginners in Brasil? I have heard about some surf camps near Rio and also googled a place called Santa-Catharina. Any opinions about this?

And also may be someone has information concerning the accomodation rates now?

[GringoSurfista]

Here's a take from someone who lives and surfs in Peru. Right now the water isn't too cold. Last weekend I was out in just a 2 mm shirt and my boardshorts. Although, with winter coming on, more and more people are putting on their 3/2s. Speaking of wetsuits, behindThePeak is right on about BOZ. I have made so many purchases for myself and my family there I practically own stock. Very good people and service there. As far as beginner lessons, you can find them very easily in Lima. There's a couple nice breaks made for beginners with lots of instructors with boards and wetsuits. An hour lesson (one on one) costs about $20 US. Certainly, Jaffa is correct, that when the big swells come, beginners stay away. But I still say Peru is a great place to learn to surf. (Although, for my own self interest, I shouldn't say that. Hardly any crowds EVER in Peru.

[jaffa1949]

It's really good to hear from someone who lives in the country and doesn't have a commercial site to sell.
A you now have a where to go to get surf lessons.
Don't cross Peru off your list , sounds like it could be good.
Australia is have a La Nina season so maybe the water will stay warmer in Peru for your trip.
Remember Spanish for Peru, Portuguese for Brasil, make the lingo effort you will be rewarded.

[brukuns]

Dude, I'm from São Paulo, Brazil, and the waves are beginner friendly, for sure. Most of the swell that hits our coast is generated near the continent, so the waves don't get too big (not enough fetch). Don't get me wrong, it can get pretty gnarly, but those days are few and far between.

It seems you will be riding whitewater anyway, so any beachbreak will do for you.

Don't be fooled thinking you will be riding a wave in a week, surfing is hard, and you need to be physically prepared, and train... a lot! You will need at least one month of surfing just to learn how to position yourself on the board, and you will take months, if not years to learn how to properly duckdive, and learn how to ride the wave face. This is not Snowboarding, where you take the lift, and simply ride your way down. Before you actually stand up on a wave to practice the actual surfing, you need to paddle out through the whitewater (totally tiresome), and be able to paddle as fast as the wave to catch it, and make the take off, just to think about trying to ride the wave face, and you will fall... a lot. Each wave you try to catch will make you more and more tired, until you just don't have the power on your paddles to catch a wave. In surfing, you get in shape first, master the basics first, and only then you can be rewarded by actually riding a wave... it's a long process.

In Brazil absolutely all of the breaks have a sand seabed, whereas in Peru it's mostly rock. In Brazil the water is warm, and in Peru, it's pretty cold (Unless you live somewhere like California, and is used to cold water, don't believe when people say Peru's water is warm enough, because it's not, at least not in the South). in Peru most of the swell that hits the coast is AT LEAST 6ft, and that can be big for a beginner, whereas in Brazil it's usually 3ft (waist high). When it gets big in Brazil, it's 7 to 8ft... when it gets big in Peru, it gets 12ft plus... you won't surf.

Peru has far better waves, but Brazil is waaaaaay more beginner friendly. Don't even consider Peru if you are already going to Brazil, that's where you wanna learn how to surf (or at least learn that it's not that simple to learn how to surf lol ).

SC is usually bigger because it's further south. Try São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. avoid breaks like Maresias and Saquarema, those are definitely not beginner friendly at all... do some research on surf schools before you come.

and don't drop in! kook.

[brukuns]

Just realized you are from Moscow... nevermind what I said about cold water. I'm sure that will be the least of your problems.

[surf patrol]

Hey brukuns, long time no see. welcome back and thanks for the info.

[jonmac]

The first post in this series is a little old, but I may be able to help someone else interested in visiting Peru. I lived there for about two years.

I just had to write something after reading some of the ridiculous responses..."avoid surfing the west coast of Peru as it may be huge...For your level of surfing the east coast of Peru might be the go"...wth? Well if you avoid the West coast, you will not be surfing Peru at all. And as far as the East coast of Peru? There isn't one...dam, people c'mon. It's great to help others out with some advice, even opinions...but geez!

First of all, Peru has good waves all year round for all levels (as our eager salesman Jorge pointed out). I lived in Lima, and a short 10-minute bus ride took me to Costa Verde with numerous breaks. There's plenty of surf schools available too, albeit very simple and informal, for a beginner to learn. They have everything you need right there on the beach. The water is cold year round...so yes, you will probably want a wetsuit. In the summer months, many locals don't use them because they are accustomed to the water temperature. And yes, if you look like a tourist and talk like a tourist, you are going to pay more. But even "more" is not that much. To give you an example, I paid 20 soles (about $6-7) to rent a board all day. This was in 2009 when the Peruvian Sol to American dollar ration was around 3:1. Now the American dollar has crapped out, so it's probably more like 2.5 to 1...still cheap. But one thing to keep in mind is that I was a pretty stubborn gringo with good Spanish. You should be able to rent a board and wetsuit all day (with no Spanish) for like 40-50 Soles.

To generalize, Costa Verde (Lima) has cold water, rocky bottom (big round smooth rocks), bigger waves in the winter months, and good for beginner and intermediate surfers. It may be suitable for advanced surfers at times in the winter months. Most advanced surfers head south to Punta Rocas, Caballeros, Las Senoritas area. These areas have more sand than Costa Verde as I recall. Pico Alto is in this area. It is supposed to be one of the largest and most powerful breaks of Peru. Sofia Mulanovich has a place nearby. I have not surfed anywhere south of these areas.

North of Lima (I believe 8-10 hours by bus) is Trujillo. Haunchaco is the most famous beach and point break there. I remember it to be less rocky and more sandy than Costa Verde as well. To this day, I have not experienced a stronger current than Huanchaco. Chicama is supposed to be just north of Trujillo, but less accessible. Unfortunately I never made it there. But I will some day...one of the longest waves in the world. There is a youtube video of Chicama that shows the wave ridable for almost 2 full minutes...sick!

Further North (approximately 18-20 hours by bus from Lima) are some world class breaks...too numerous to list. But the beach town of Mancora is the most popular summer destination in the North, with Organos and Lobitos breaks nearby...beautiful waves when I surfed there in October/November.

Anyways, just wanted to clear up some things...

[jaffa1949]

Hi Jonmac, thanks for posting a really good all round review on Peru. I have to own up about the east coast of Peru.
I definitely know there isn't one.
I was being a little too sarcastic to a new poster who it turns out is from Russia. He got that the east coast of Peru is Brazil and Argentina and it was a joke.

Now about your post it is the clearest explanation of surf life in Peru it will be worth recalling and quoting when other askers appear.
Thank you

[surf patrol]

Hi jonmac, welcome to Surfing Waves!

Thanks for the info, very useful. I'll be posting some of that on the Peru surf guide page.

[perusurf]

definitely Lima has more beginner friendly waves, a beach called makaha, there are several schools, nice easy white water for beginners, here in Punta Hermosa we also have a beginners breaks (just one) definitely a place more for someone that already knows how to surf, will definitely get more out of their vacation, but many people also come to learn. lessons are from $20US to $30US....
hahah...east cost of Peru.........
do need a wetsuit, in summer a spring suit is ok, you could also surf just in shorts but if you want to stay a long time in the water you'll need something on.
water could drop down to about 16°C in winter and up to 20° in summer