IQUIQUE

THE SURF

Iquique sits 400km (250mi) further south of Arica and also holds a very concentrated stretch of challenging reefbreaks. Most of the waves along this coastline break close to the shore as cylindrical barrels slamming down hard onto shallow reefs full of urchins. It's often big and gnarly and many of the spots are more suitable for bodyboarders or the most skilled of surfers. Fortunately, there are channels, which enable safe paddle outs to most line-ups. When looking at the waves from the shore it's easy to be deceived by the size, what appears to be 4ft (1.5m) is actually 6-8ft (2-2.5m)! All these waves face the main coastal road, and when the swells are big, crowds are guaranteed to gather and watch the show. What beachbreaks there are, tend to be closed and blown-out unless the swell is small, which doesn't happen often in Chile! With new extreme waves like La Bestia being discovered, this is another region for experienced riders only. Iquique is a big industrial and mining port so it's lively, day and night.

FORECASTING

Constant S-SW swells between 3-15ft (1-5m) come pouring off the Roaring Forties year-round, although winter obviously sees more of the bigger swells that hit double figures. The predominant wind is from the S with less SE than Arica and a trend towards more SSW variations accounting for at least 25% of the time all year. Glassy mornings are common, especially in summer when wind speeds back off to 0-10mph most of the time and long period 20 second swells can arrive in the 6-8ft (2-2.5m) range. Most of the rights are very wind sensitive, since the SW-facing coastal angle is not ideal. Mid to high tide is the go for most spots, as a 1m (3ft) drop in coverage from mid to low will expose many rocks. Conversely, some waves need the low tide to break far enough out and off the rocks.

© ~Low Pressure~