Surf: South America’s big-wave spot is an offshore bombora peak that breaks with Hawaiian power and proportions. Breaking 1.5km out to sea off the point at Playa Norte, it's mainly the rights that the tow crews and gun-toting paddle-ins are after. Like most monster breaks, it's all about the drop, but Pico Alto also has an exceptional length of ride with a long, thunderous wall on offer to those who manage to negotiate the exploding peak. It’s a 30-min paddle just to get in position, and is only rideable when the wave face is very clean and smooth. The left has far less wall, but is just as intense on the drop as the right, then fades into deeper water. Needs a good 8ft of swell to feel the reef and will hold as big as you like. Environment: Needless to say this is for big wave nuts only. It may look do-able from the headland but it is a different story out there. Specialist equipment and experience riding some of the biggest waves in the world are essential. One for the voyeurs, otherwise paddle out from Playa Norte, dodging the close-outs when it is really pumping. Surf: General: One of South America's biggest waves and Peru's premier heavy-water reef, a 30-minute paddle from shore, located south of Lima in the classic Punta Hermosa district, this thick "High Peak" draws out of deep water and offers a relatively long right wall, although the left is sometimes attempted. A cold, gray, Hawaiian-style wave, rideable to as big as you can handle, in plain view from the highway. Needs slack wind and a huge SW swell, which are common in winter. Only experienced big-wave surfers need apply.

Pico Alto is one of the biggest waves in South America. Fast, hollow and heavy, it starts working at 12-15-feet, holds until 30-feet and almost never closes out. The rides get longer as the waves get bigger. It breaks right and left, but favors the right. The paddle is about a kilometer to the open-ocean break. Best time is from April to June, but through the winter, as well. Tides: Any. Size: Starts working around triple overhead and holds to over 40' faces. Wind: Glassy or E Swell: S, SW Bottom: Rock. Paddling: Heavy Spot Rating: Good if you like XL surf. Access: Long paddle. Crowds: Crowd Factor: Can get crowded. Local Vibe: Classic big-wave camaraderie. Environment: Clean Hazards: Huge surf; two-wave (or more) hold downs. Season: April-August