WaveSearch

Pico Alto

Lima, Lima - Punta Hermosa · Expert Epic
1.7m
8/10
12s 2 km/h
Pico Alto - surf spot in Lima

About Pico Alto

Pico Alto, in Punta Hermosa south of Lima, is South America's most famous big wave and one of the great challenges of surfing on the continent. It breaks about 700 meters offshore over a flat rock and sand bottom, and on the largest southwest swells it can reach heights of up to 15 meters. It is a fast, hollow and very powerful wave that favors the right, with a wall that demands total commitment from the peak. The best conditions run from March to August, when the long, strong south swells arrive. On the biggest days it is usually surfed by jet ski (tow in), and it is not a place to experiment: it is reserved exclusively for expert surfers with real big-wave experience and the safety teams that support them. Every season it draws some of the best big-wave riders in the world.

Characteristics

Level
Extreme conditions. Only for very experienced surfers.
· 📅 March - August ·
Surface
Type of seabed where the waves break.
·
Direction
Direction the wave breaks as seen from the water.

Sports, Services & Access

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-12.3351°, -76.8345° Lima

Pico Alto — Lima

Current Conditions

Updated 19/10/2026 03:03

Epic
8/10

Waves

1.7m

12.6s period

Primary Swell

1.5m

12.0s SW

Wind

2 km/h

Gusts 8 km/h ENE

Secondary Swell

0.8m

4.9s S

Temp.

23.3°C

🩳 Boardshorts

UV

0.0

Low

Visibility

0.9 km

Fog

Sun & Moon

☀️
↑ 05:40
↓ 18:04
🌙
↑ 12:40
↓ 00:56
🌗 First Quarter

Neap tides

Tide

Falling

Low Tide 08:30 - 0.62m

Best Time to Surf Today

06:00 - 09:00

🌊 1.7m 💨 3 km/h
Epic 8.3/10 avg.

Today's Tides

High Tide

00:50

0.98m

Low Tide

08:30

0.62m

High Tide

13:30

0.67m

Low Tide

17:10

0.61m

Weekly Summary

Today

1.7m-1.8m

12s

SW SW SW
8 km/h
🌗

Tomorrow

1.8m-1.9m

10s

SW SW SW
10 km/h
🌗

Wed

1.9m-2.4m

12s

SW SW SW
15 km/h
🌖

Thu

2.2m-2.5m

11s

SW SW SW
13 km/h
🌖

Fri

2.0m-2.3m

10s

SSW SSW SSW
13 km/h
🌖

Sat

1.9m-2.2m

7s

SSW S S
10 km/h
🌖

Sun

1.7m-2.1m

7s

SSW S S
8 km/h
🌕

Mon

1.4m-1.8m

6s

SSW SSW S
8 km/h
🌕

Tue

1.3m-1.5m

9s

SSW S S
10 km/h
🌕

Wed

1.4m-1.4m

13s

SW
12 km/h
🌔

Thu

0.0m-0.0m

8 km/h
🌔

Day Block Forecast

Tides: 00:50 (0.98m) 08:30 (0.62m) 13:30 (0.67m) 17:10 (0.61m)
Morning Epic

1.7m - 1.7m

223° SW
Period: 12s
6 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 8s
⚡ 204 kJ
Midday Epic

1.7m - 1.7m

222° SW
Period: 12s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.7m 16s
⚡ 204 kJ
Afternoon Epic

1.7m - 1.7m

222° SW
Period: 12s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 9s
⚡ 204 kJ
At night Epic

1.7m - 1.8m

222° SW
Period: 12s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.7m 14s
⚡ 204 kJ
Tides: 01:42 (1.04m) 09:00 (0.60m) 14:10 (0.76m) 19:00 (0.64m)
Morning Epic

1.8m - 1.9m

221° SW
Period: 10s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.1m 14s
⚡ 159 kJ
Midday Good

1.9m - 1.9m

218° SW
Period: 9s
15 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.2m 14s
⚡ 144 kJ
Afternoon Good

1.9m - 1.9m

219° SW
Period: 9s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.2m 13s
⚡ 144 kJ
At night Epic

1.8m - 1.9m

219° SW
Period: 11s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.1m 12s
⚡ 192 kJ
Tides: 02:15 (1.09m) 09:18 (0.58m) 15:00 (0.84m) 20:00 (0.63m)
Morning Epic

2.0m - 2.0m

217° SW
Period: 12s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 7s
⚡ 283 kJ
Midday Good

2.1m - 2.1m

216° SW
Period: 12s
15 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 7s
⚡ 312 kJ
Afternoon Good

2.2m - 2.3m

216° SW
Period: 12s
17 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.1m 8s
⚡ 342 kJ
At night Good

2.1m - 2.4m

217° SW
Period: 12s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.7m 6s
⚡ 312 kJ
Tides: 02:30 (1.10m) 09:39 (0.50m) 15:30 (0.89m) 20:50 (0.58m)
Morning Epic

2.4m - 2.5m

213° SSW
Period: 11s
10 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 5s
⚡ 342 kJ
Midday Fair

2.4m - 2.5m

215° SW
Period: 11s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 7s
⚡ 342 kJ
Afternoon Fair

2.3m - 2.4m

214° SW
Period: 10s
16 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.3m 11s
⚡ 260 kJ
At night Epic

2.4m - 2.5m

214° SW
Period: 11s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 7s
⚡ 342 kJ
Tides: 03:06 (1.08m) 09:40 (0.45m) 15:54 (0.95m) 21:30 (0.57m)
Morning Good

2.2m - 2.3m

214° SW
Period: 10s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 5s
⚡ 238 kJ
Midday Fair

2.2m - 2.3m

210° SSW
Period: 10s
10 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 5s
⚡ 238 kJ
Afternoon Fair

2.1m - 2.2m

210° SSW
Period: 10s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 5s
⚡ 217 kJ
At night Fair

2.2m - 2.3m

212° SSW
Period: 10s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.1m 6s
⚡ 238 kJ
Tides: 03:30 (1.06m) 10:04 (0.40m) 16:30 (1.06m) 22:13 (0.57m)
Morning Epic

2.1m - 2.2m

189° S
Period: 6s
4 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.2m 11s
⚡ 78 kJ
Midday Good

2.1m - 2.2m

191° S
Period: 6s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 11s
⚡ 78 kJ
Afternoon Fair

2.0m - 2.2m

194° SSW
Period: 6s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 11s
⚡ 71 kJ
At night Good

2.0m - 2.1m

191° S
Period: 7s
12 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.2m 10s
⚡ 96 kJ
Morning Good

2.0m - 2.1m

193° SSW
Period: 7s
5 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.2m 20s
⚡ 96 kJ
Midday Fair

1.9m - 2.0m

193° SSW
Period: 7s
10 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.2m 19s
⚡ 87 kJ
Afternoon Fair

1.8m - 1.9m

196° SSW
Period: 7s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.2m 18s
⚡ 78 kJ
At night Good

1.9m - 2.1m

194° SSW
Period: 7s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 15s
⚡ 87 kJ
Morning Good

1.6m - 1.7m

188° S
Period: 6s
4 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 10s
⚡ 45 kJ
Midday Poor

1.6m - 1.6m

187° S
Period: 6s
12 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 9s
⚡ 45 kJ
Afternoon Fair

1.5m - 1.6m

190° S
Period: 6s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 11s
⚡ 40 kJ
At night Good

1.6m - 1.8m

196° SSW
Period: 7s
8 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 14s
⚡ 62 kJ
Morning Epic

1.4m - 1.5m

194° SSW
Period: 7s
5 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 14s
⚡ 47 kJ
Midday Fair

1.4m - 1.5m

193° SSW
Period: 9s
17 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 11s
⚡ 78 kJ
Afternoon Fair

1.4m - 1.5m

221° SW
Period: 10s
16 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 7s
⚡ 96 kJ
At night Epic

1.5m - 1.5m

191° S
Period: 9s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 14s
⚡ 89 kJ
Morning Poor

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
8 km/h
Midday Flat

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
19 km/h
Afternoon Flat

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
18 km/h
At night Good

1.4m - 1.4m

220° SW
Period: 13s
11 km/h
⚡ 163 kJ
Morning
Midday
Afternoon
At night Poor

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
8 km/h

Hourly Forecast

Open-Meteo Copernicus
Showing 6 of 240 hours
Hour Waves Period Swell Dir. Wind Secondary Swell Tertiary Swell Current UV Vis. Tide Rating
Mon 19 Oct 03:00 1.7m 13s 1.5m / 12s SW 4 km/h 1.4m / 12s SW - - 0.0 2.7 km 0.91m
9
Mon 19 Oct 04:00 1.7m 13s 1.5m / 12s SW 2 km/h 0.8m / 5s S - - 0.0 0.9 km 0.84m
8
Mon 19 Oct 05:00 1.7m 13s 1.5m / 12s SW 2 km/h 0.7m / 5s S - - 0.0 0.6 km 0.77m
8
Mon 19 Oct 06:00 1.7m 13s 1.5m / 12s SW 3 km/h 1.5m / 12s SW - 0.11 m/s 0.0 0.4 km 0.70m
9
Mon 19 Oct 07:00 1.7m 13s 1.5m / 12s SW 4 km/h 0.7m / 5s S - - 0.7 0.8 km 0.65m
8
Mon 19 Oct 08:00 1.7m 13s 1.5m / 12s SW 3 km/h 0.7m / 4s S - - 2.5 4.8 km 0.62m
8

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Surf information for Pico Alto

Pico Alto is a Expert level surf spot located in Lima, Lima, Perú. The bottom surface is roca y arena. The waves break both left and right. The best season to surf is March - August.

Today's conditions at Pico Alto

Right now, Pico Alto has waves of about 1.7m with a swell period of 12 seconds and ENE (2 km/h) wind. These conditions are updated every 3 hours with the latest forecast.

At Pico Alto you can practice surf. The area offers parking. You can get there by car or boat.

Water temperature and wetsuit

The water at Pico Alto is around 23 °C, so boardshorts or a rash guard is recommended.

Frequently asked questions about surfing at Pico Alto

Is the wave at Pico Alto a left or a right?
Pico Alto offers both left and right waves.
What level do you need to surf at Pico Alto?
Pico Alto is a spot recommended for expert surfers.
What is the best season to surf at Pico Alto?
The best season to surf at Pico Alto is March - August.
Where is Pico Alto located?
Pico Alto is located in Punta Hermosa, Lima, Peru.
How do you get to Pico Alto?
You can reach Pico Alto by car or boat.
What is the water temperature at Pico Alto?
The water is around 23 °C, so boardshorts or a rash guard is recommended.

Sports, services & how to get there

Sports

surf

Services

estacionamiento

Access

auto bote

Condition Scoring

Rating Algorithm 1-10

Each forecast hour receives a score from 1 to 10, calculated by adding points for different factors:

Wave Height (0-4 pts)

< 0.5m = 0 pts | 0.5-1.0m = 1 pt | 1.0-1.5m = 2 pts | 1.5-2.5m = 3 pts | > 2.5m = 4 pts

Dominant Period (-1 to 3 pts)

Uses the dominant/peak period (wave_period). < 8s = -1 pt (wind swell, messy) | 8-10s = 0 pts | 10-12s = 1 pt | 12-16s = 2 pts | > 16s = 3 pts

Wind (-2 to +2 pts)

Glassy (< 5 km/h): +2. Light wind (5-10 km/h): +1. Moderate wind (10-20 km/h): offshore +1, onshore -1. Strong wind (> 20 km/h): onshore -2, offshore -1. Wind data covers the full 15-day forecast window.

Secondary Swell (-1 to +1 pt)

If a secondary swell with height ≥ 0.3m and long period (≥ 10s) exists, +1 point is added. If the period is short (< 10s) and direction differs > 45° from the primary swell, -1 point penalty for crossed seas. If directions are similar (≤ 45°), no penalty is applied.

Rating by score:

Flat (1) Poor (2-3) Fair (4-5) Good (6-7) Epic (8-10)
View full methodology
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