Chicama Alert Guide

La Libertad, Peru · part of the Chicama spot guide

Chicama is forecast-only — the nearest buoy is thousands of kilometres away — so it is a model-driven call, and the height below is an open-ocean reading. Remember the wrap: the face at the point is roughly half that or less, and despite the tropical latitude the cold Humboldt Current means you’ll want a wetsuit.

The forecaster's checklist

1. 1.Find an intense Roaring Forties storm around 40 to 55° south with a fetch aimed up the Peru longitude.
2. 2.Give it about three to five days for the south-southwest groundswell to reach Peru.
3. 3.Run on models — there is no buoy within thousands of kilometres — cross-referencing GFS-Wave, Windy and Surfline, and treating model agreement on direction, period and timing as your only confidence signal.
4. 4.Read the "link all the sections" tell as the trifecta: southwest around 220–250°, long period of 15 to 18 seconds, and enough open-ocean height, with long period the single most important ingredient for connection.
5. 5.Confirm the reliable morning offshore and reality-check the size — halve the open-ocean height for the face, and sell the length and quality, not the number.

Local winds & tide

Best wind: E–SE offshore (the reliable morning glass is key) — from 90° to 160° (E–SSE).

Chicama works across the tide with no modelled gate — some guides prefer a mid-to-high tide for the fullest connection, while low tide exposes more of the outer rock and cobble.

Dial it in