Surf Forecast La Bestia
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La Bestia surfspot characteristics
More about La Bestia surfspot
Recently discovered and ridden by Chilean charger Ramon Navarro and Gabriel Villaran (Peru), this jaw dropping bombora has tubes on a grand scale. Tow-ins and paddle-ins now regularly take place on the handful of days it breaks each winter, and a bunch of locals are getting to grips with what locals call El Bajo. The literal translation is not talking about the "low one" from a wave height perspective, but more a reference to how deep surfers have been pushed on wipeouts and held in the netherworld for 2 wave hold-downs.
General: La Bestia is a huge, barreling, oceanic wave that was only surfed for the first time comparatively recently. Before that it was used as an indicator of incoming sets to the various waves in Iquique's bay and was thought impossible to catch due to the speed and size of this huge right, which has a striking resemblance to Tahiti's famous Teahupo'o. The wave breaks very rarely and doesn't start doing its thing until its 8- to 12-foot. A world-class wave, it is definitely reserved only for expert big-wave surfers. Tides: Low Size: 3-5X overhead for paddling; any bigger and you're towing Wind: S Swell: S Bottom: Rock, but it's 30 or 45 feet deep. Paddling: The wave itself is way offshore and the intensity and size will keep you moving around constantly. Spot Rating: World class wave when it breaks, being compared to Teahupo'o is no small feat.
Surfers with big-wave experience -- no kidding here.
Jet skis, boats, or a very long paddle.
May and October
Crowd Factor: Nope -- only the pros are out. Local Vibe: Supportive, cool, intense rides -- everyone knows each other at this level.
Definitely a spectator sport, preferably from 20 floors up in one of the apartment blocks or hotels that loom on the Punta Cavancha.
Not bad
Death by drowning.