Chicama, Peru; One Of The World's Surfing Treasures

Chicama, Peru has long been considered as one of the world's best and longest surfing waves.
It is in an isolated part of the coast and until recent times was difficult to reach and rarely surfed.
That is changing though as a surf camp and other developments are encroaching on the once pristine spot. Hopefully it will not suffer the same fate as "Bruce's Beauties" at Cape St. Francis in South Africa.
Cape St. Francis was brought to the world in the surfing epic movie "The Endless Summer." Unfortunately overdevelopment has ruined the spot and even damaged the wave by altering the beach and area coastline. This is a clear example of what can result from unbridled and poorly planned coastal development.

Chicama, Peru

North Padre Island Beaches: If It Aint Broke, Don't Fix It!

Have fun and pick up your trash when you leave!


Even after an overwhelming majority of local voters rejected the plans to ban vehicular traffic from our beaches a few years ago now another attempt is being mounted to close off the 4,200 foot section of beach in front of the sea wall to traffic.
This is an attempt to change the law where no real problem exists. Much of the time this stretch of beach is not passable by vehicles because of tides or soft sand. In addition a city ordinance prohibits driving within 50 feet of the shoreline which is most of the time here.
Now we are again hearing that "I can't take my kids to the beach without worrying about them being run over." As far as I know no one has ever been run over or hit by a vehicle on this stretch of beach. And such incidents are extremely rare on any of the area beaches.
These cries also ignore the fact that there are beach areas closed from traffic in Port Aransas, by Bob Hall Pier and on the Padre Island National Sea Shore.
Not to mention the miles of open beach with very light traffic even in peak summer periods.

North Padre Beaches; Wide Open For All!

(click on pic for larger image)