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Spots / Lima

Pico Alto

Lima, Lima - Punta Hermosa · Expert Fair
1.7m
5/10
11s 15 km/h
Tomorrow's Forecast
Pico Alto - surf spot in Lima
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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
Maps Waze

Pico Alto — Lima

Current Conditions

Updated 15/08/2026 15:06

Fair
5/10

Waves

1.7m

10.6s period

Primary Swell

1.4m

11.4s SW

Wind

15 km/h

Gusts 32 km/h S

Secondary Swell

1.3m

11.6s SW

Temp.

21.4°C

🦺 Shorty 2mm

UV

0.4

Low

Visibility

10+ km

Good

Coastal fog possible

Sun & Moon

☀️
↑ 06:20
↓ 18:03
🌙
↑ 08:24
↓ 20:52
🌘 Waxing Crescent

Current

0.14 m/s

NW

Tide

Rising

High Tide 19:38 - 0.87m

Today's Tides

Low Tide

00:37

0.25m

High Tide

07:10

1.11m

Low Tide

13:45

0.32m

High Tide

19:38

0.87m

Weekly Summary

Today

1.7m-1.7m

11s

SW SW SW
12 km/h
🌘

Tomorrow

1.6m-1.7m

11s

SW SW SW
11 km/h
🌘

Mon

1.6m-1.8m

11s

SW SW SW
11 km/h
🌘

Tue

1.8m-2.6m

9s

SW SW SW
13 km/h
🌘

Wed

2.1m-2.6m

8s

SW SSW SSW
8 km/h
🌗

Thu

1.8m-2.3m

7s

SSW SSW SSW
7 km/h
🌗

Fri

1.3m-1.9m

7s

SSW S S
6 km/h
🌗

Sat

1.0m-1.3m

6s

S S S
6 km/h
🌗

Sun

1.0m-1.2m

7s

S S S
8 km/h
🌖

Mon

0.9m-1.1m

7s

S S S
7 km/h
🌖

Tue

1.0m-1.0m

6s

S
7 km/h
🌖

Day Block Forecast

Tides: 00:37 (0.25m) 07:10 (1.11m) 13:45 (0.32m) 19:38 (0.87m)
Morning Already passed
Midday Already passed
Afternoon Fair

1.7m - 1.7m

229° SW
Period: 11s
15 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.1m 8s
⚡ 172 kJ
At night Good

1.7m - 1.7m

227° SW
Period: 11s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 6s
⚡ 172 kJ
Tides: 01:23 (0.33m) 07:45 (1.01m) 14:21 (0.33m) 20:21 (0.84m)
Morning Epic

1.7m - 1.7m

218° SW
Period: 10s
6 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 12s
⚡ 142 kJ
Midday Fair

1.6m - 1.6m

228° SW
Period: 11s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 8s
⚡ 152 kJ
Afternoon Fair

1.7m - 1.7m

232° SW
Period: 11s
15 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 9s
⚡ 172 kJ
At night Good

1.7m - 1.7m

232° SW
Period: 11s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.0m 8s
⚡ 172 kJ
Tides: 02:10 (0.41m) 08:20 (0.88m) 14:54 (0.34m) 21:30 (0.82m)
Morning Good

1.6m - 1.6m

223° SW
Period: 10s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.7m 6s
⚡ 126 kJ
Midday Fair

1.6m - 1.6m

222° SW
Period: 10s
18 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 6s
⚡ 126 kJ
Afternoon Fair

1.6m - 1.6m

222° SW
Period: 10s
17 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 7s
⚡ 126 kJ
At night Epic

1.7m - 1.8m

232° SW
Period: 11s
8 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.9m 8s
⚡ 172 kJ
Tides: 03:06 (0.52m) 08:54 (0.81m) 15:30 (0.39m) 22:30 (0.81m)
Morning Good

2.2m - 2.3m

221° SW
Period: 9s
15 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.1m 11s
⚡ 192 kJ
Midday Poor

2.4m - 2.4m

223° SW
Period: 10s
16 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.2m 6s
⚡ 283 kJ
Afternoon Fair

2.4m - 2.5m

222° SW
Period: 10s
17 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.2m 6s
⚡ 283 kJ
At night Epic

2.2m - 2.6m

221° SW
Period: 9s
10 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.8m 9s
⚡ 192 kJ
Tides: 04:50 (0.57m) 09:10 (0.69m) 16:30 (0.39m) 23:50 (0.77m)
Morning Good

2.4m - 2.5m

211° SSW
Period: 8s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.7m 5s
⚡ 181 kJ
Midday Good

2.3m - 2.4m

206° SSW
Period: 7s
8 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.3m 7s
⚡ 127 kJ
Afternoon Good

2.2m - 2.4m

192° SSW
Period: 7s
8 km/h
Secondary Swell: 1.1m 9s
⚡ 116 kJ
At night Good

2.4m - 2.6m

192° SSW
Period: 8s
8 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.4m 10s
⚡ 181 kJ
Tides: 06:50 (0.54m) 10:30 (0.60m) 17:10 (0.37m)
Morning Good

2.1m - 2.3m

193° SSW
Period: 7s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 14s
⚡ 106 kJ
Midday Good

2.1m - 2.1m

192° SSW
Period: 7s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 14s
⚡ 106 kJ
Afternoon Good

2.0m - 2.1m

191° S
Period: 7s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 13s
⚡ 96 kJ
At night Good

2.1m - 2.3m

194° SSW
Period: 7s
6 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 13s
⚡ 106 kJ
Tides: 01:10 (0.79m) 08:10 (0.55m) 11:00 (0.58m) 18:30 (0.39m)
Morning Good

1.7m - 1.7m

188° S
Period: 7s
4 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 12s
⚡ 70 kJ
Midday Good

1.6m - 1.6m

188° S
Period: 7s
7 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 12s
⚡ 62 kJ
Afternoon Good

1.5m - 1.5m

190° S
Period: 6s
9 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 12s
⚡ 40 kJ
At night Good

1.6m - 1.9m

189° S
Period: 6s
6 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 12s
⚡ 45 kJ
Morning Good

1.2m - 1.2m

186° S
Period: 6s
4 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 11s
⚡ 25 kJ
Midday Fair

1.1m - 1.2m

185° S
Period: 6s
10 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 11s
⚡ 21 kJ
Afternoon Fair

1.1m - 1.2m

185° S
Period: 6s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 10s
⚡ 21 kJ
At night Good

1.2m - 1.3m

186° S
Period: 6s
5 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.6m 11s
⚡ 25 kJ
Morning Fair

1.1m - 1.2m

182° S
Period: 7s
6 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 10s
⚡ 29 kJ
Midday Poor

1.1m - 1.2m

182° S
Period: 7s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 10s
⚡ 29 kJ
Afternoon Poor

1.1m - 1.2m

181° S
Period: 7s
13 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 9s
⚡ 29 kJ
At night Good

1.1m - 1.2m

183° S
Period: 7s
6 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 10s
⚡ 29 kJ
Morning Good

1.0m - 1.1m

180° S
Period: 6s
5 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.4m 13s
⚡ 18 kJ
Midday Poor

1.1m - 1.1m

174° S
Period: 7s
14 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 13s
⚡ 29 kJ
Afternoon Poor

1.0m - 1.1m

181° S
Period: 7s
11 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 13s
⚡ 24 kJ
At night Good

1.1m - 1.1m

179° S
Period: 7s
4 km/h
Secondary Swell: 0.5m 11s
⚡ 29 kJ
Morning Poor

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
6 km/h
Midday Flat

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
12 km/h
Afternoon Flat

0.0m - 0.0m

Period: 0s
12 km/h
At night Fair

1.0m - 1.0m

181° S
Period: 6s
4 km/h
⚡ 18 kJ

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
Sat 15 Aug 17:00 1.7m 11s 1.4m / 11s SW 14 km/h 0.9m / 5s S - - 1.9 10+ km 0.65m
4
Sat 15 Aug 18:00 1.7m 11s 1.4m / 11s SW 15 km/h 1.3m / 12s SW - 0.14 m/s 0.4 10+ km 0.78m
5
Sat 15 Aug 19:00 1.7m 11s 1.4m / 11s SW 14 km/h 0.9m / 5s S - - 0.0 10+ km 0.85m
4
Sat 15 Aug 20:00 1.7m 11s 1.4m / 11s SW 12 km/h 0.9m / 5s S - - 0.0 10+ km 0.86m
4
Sat 15 Aug 21:00 1.7m 11s 1.4m / 11s SW 10 km/h 1.3m / 11s SW - - 0.0 1.4 km 0.79m
7
Sat 15 Aug 22:00 1.7m 11s 1.4m / 11s SW 9 km/h 0.9m / 4s S - - 0.0 1.1 km 0.67m
6

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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 11 seconds and S (15 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 21 °C, so a 2/2 mm spring suit 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 21 °C, so a 2/2 mm spring suit is recommended.

Sports, services & how to get there

Sports

surf

Services

estacionamiento

Access

auto bote

Other surf spots in Lima

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Surf Spots in Lima

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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