The small coastal town of Puerto Chicama, in northwestern Peru, is home to the longest, the most perfect, left-breaking wave in the world. Here, the wave stretches for about 2.2 km from the point —an isolated rocky outcrop where the wave breaks— to a long pier on the barren coast, where the wave ends. Locals confirm that the entire distance has been ridden on a single wave. The whole cape upon which the waves break, to their most westernmost end, is actually 4 km long, although no one has ever ridden it for that distance.

An endless series of left-breaking swells is a common sight at Chicama. “If you fall off or need a rest, just wait for the next wave coming right behind and off you go again! It is a dream,” —Ben Herrgott, an Australian surfer.  Photo credit: Jonathan/Flickr