Located in northern Peru in an extremely dry region of the country, the left-hand point of Chicama may in many people’s eyes be the longest of the world’s longest surf rides. Peruvian surfer Cristobal de Col has entered the Guiness Book of Records for pulling up to 34 turns on one single wave at Chicama. The lineup is made up of four defined breaks but these don’t actually connect up. The main one is called, wait for it, El Point. Running at 1.1km, it’s also the longest makeable section of the four. Considerably sheltered from the energy of the open ocean, wave-heights tend to stick around the shoulder to head-height range even when the swell is big. And with waves generally offering a pretty crumbly lip and soft shoulder with plenty of time for cutbacks, it’s an ideal beginner and intermediate wave.

Season/Swell: May to September. While Chicama consistently picks up some kind of surf if you’re looking to improve on your personal best for longest wave then you’ll want to wait for a big southern hemi swell to show up.

Also: With a strong current sweeping north, it generally makes more sense to keep surfing waves down the point at Chicama before walking back up to the take-off.