Stats from the REAL Peru 2011 Trip:
• 8 out of 9 days of 12m or better winds.
• Chest high waves or better every day with a bomber swell right in the middle of the trip.
• Completely glassy surf every morning from sunrise to about 9 or 10am.
• 362 = Total number of sessions taken durning this trip.
• 5.3 lbs of Peruvian sand and dust inhaled per person.
• 9.7 liters of ocean water ingested per person.
• 6 boards broken
• 2 kites destroyed
• 436 Pilzen Peruvian beers consumed
When Jason Slezak, Brandon Scheid and I left for Peru the beginning of August we had no idea what we were in for. Stepping into Northern Peru with 18 clients from around the globe is a logistical nightmare. Remarkably we only had a few lost bags, and we were able to patch quivers together to keep everyone riding from day one.
Peru is gritty, dusty, hot, cold, dry, beautiful, windy, glassy, lush, and desolate all at the same time. It is a land of opposites. You can be hot and cold in the same hour. You will look out into the ocean and see the most abundant sea life with whales, sea lions, massive schools of fish with birds preying on them, and turn around to see the dry sparse desert mountains. All of these opposites feed into the climate that make it perfect for a kite and surf trip.
The weather is insanely hard to predict but really simple in theory. The dry desert heats up during the day to create daily afternoon thermal winds off the cool Pacific. Every day started glassy at sun rise and looked almost the same to us, but our guides would come to us with a different forecast and location that we should be going for the day. 99% of the time…. They were right.
The Guides:
Pulpo(The Octopus and guide from The Peru Project). This guy is a legend. He knows everyone, and he knows the weather in an impossible place to predict weather. He dialed us into more good sessions than I would have ever imagined. If there was an elder surf guru of Northern Peru. Pulpo is the guy. He also carries 8 knives on him, so you always feel safe.
Feruco the laughing hyena. This guy’s laugh and smile is infections. He makes anyone welcomed on and off the water. He also drives like an absolute mad man on the the back roads. No seat belt. No AC. No brakes. Full throttle all the time. We feared for our lives when he was at the wheel, but we were the first on the water and the first home.
Carlos the wild card. Carlos was a new guide for us this year and we didn’t know what we were going to get. His van was clean, he always made sure you were having a good time, and he took his time getting there. He made people feel safe even though he had no idea where he was going since he was from Lima. Some how or another he always got us there safely and then surfed circles around us. Carlos turned out to be a wonderful person and a treat to have guiding us on this trip.
The Accommodations:
Gary and Johanna at Samana Chakra completely dialed us in. They were such gracious hosts, and there resort was an oasis of nice lawn, comfortable villas, excellent food and a wonderful staff. Pulling into the gates at Samana Chakra at the end of a long day of sessions made everyone breath a sigh of relief. It was so safe that you could leave your wallet and passport on the night stand the entire time, and it would only be moved to be cleaned under it. We got completely pampered by the regular yoga classes, energy workshops, massage offerings and reflexology. Juanchi in the kitchen kept the unique Peruvian meals pumping out for 9 days running. We never ate the same meal and the deserts were spot on.
The Sessions:
The “Ground Hog Day Effect” was very strong there. After you spend a couple days in the water there, you are not sure if you have been there for 3 days or 3 months. Up every morning before sunrise. In the water on the point at Mancora at first light. Surf the glass until 9 or 10am. Pack up for the day trip south to kite some long waves. You could also hang at the resort and kite the beach break or the point in Mancora.
Often times we journeyed to some where 20-45minutes away to go kite. Kite until you couldn’t walk. Repeat for 9 days. We had some amazing glassy surf session and even better uncrowded kite surf sessions. Everyone got 100% better and accomplished their goals that were set at the beginning of the trip. When you ride the same wave for 1 minute at a time it is hard not to get better.
The Gear:
We went down stocked to the gills with 2012 gear. The new Lost Firewire Stealth and Sub Scorchers got top marks for kiting and surfing. Great construction and sick shapes to have one boards that does it all.
A lot of guys came prepared with Custom Stretch Pug or Thing kitesurf boards. These were the high light of the trip as they rode perfect on the Peruvian groomers. Super fast and locked into the pocket. Everything you want wrapped up in a small package.
We were able to travel down with the 2012 Liquid Force Envy and NRG. For the waves the Envy was the stand out. Everyone loves the the smooth power and carving turn of that kite. The NRG was the power house that let you bust through the surf launch massive air time on the way out.
We also scored a 2012 TS and Kahoona from Best. Both were perfect for the trip. The TS had a lot of balls and a really solid feel. The Kahoona was a wave magnet that you could just sheet out and surf the wave.
Overall we had an all star cast of clients with amazing conditions. Every day was a different adventure and everyone rose to the occasion.
Check out a few of Nuzzi’s iPhone videos from the trip: