Illustration — no photo of this spot yet
Pico Alto
Peru's big wave, and the reason Punta Hermosa has a name beyond its beach breaks. An outer reef that only exists when the swell is large — its atlas entry records it starting to work at 10–12 ft and holding past 16 ft, with rides of 150 to 300 m on a good day and waves reported to 24 ft. Hollow, fast and powerful over flat rock and sand, and famous as a right, though it throws the occasional left. Wikipedia lists it among the world's big-wave locations. It is empty almost all the time, for the obvious reason.
Next 7 days
The best-rated window in the cached forecast.
This is the week's best-rated wave quality, not a suitability call. Take the 2-minute quiz to see how Pico Alto fits your level.
Surf outlook
our estimate (what does this mean?)
A 1-5 score of how organised the waves look, from forecast height, period and wind speed — it rates the waves, not whether they fit your ability.Sunrise around 05:37, sunset around 18:05 today.
mean sea level (what does this mean?)
The long-run average height of the sea surface — tide heights are metres above (+) or below (−) that average.Times on this card are local to Pico Alto. The star call is our own estimate, calculated from the forecast height, period and wind speed — not measured, and not a suitability or safety assessment. How we rate explains the scale. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com, licensed CC BY 4.0. Fetched .
Live conditions
Period (what does this mean?)
Time between waves. Longer period = more powerful, better-organised waves.Swell (what does this mean?)
Waves made by distant storms, smoother and more ordered than the choppy waves a local wind whips up.Wind (what does this mean?)
Offshore wind (land to sea) holds waves up and smooths their faces; onshore wind (sea to land) makes them crumble and close out sooner.Estimated wave energy (what does this mean?)
How much power each metre of wave front carries (kW/m), worked out from height and period — higher numbers mean waves that push harder.Calculated by us from the height and period above, not measured — and it describes the swell offshore, not the wave at the break.
Waves from DWD Global WAM, wind from ECMWF IFS, for a model grid point 20 km from the break. Fetched . Times on this card are local to Pico Alto. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com, licensed CC BY 4.0. Not a suitability or safety assessment — check local conditions and ask your instructor.
Surf Snapshot
Estimated seasonal guidance — not a live forecast.
When to surf Pico Alto, month by month
Estimated from our authored seasonality — not a live forecast.
Peak season: May, Jun, July, Aug (All-time).
| Month | Surf consistency |
|---|---|
| Jan | Rare |
| Feb | Rare |
| Mar | Moderate |
| Apr | High |
| Maypeak | All-time |
| Junpeak | All-time |
| Julypeak | All-time |
| Augpeak | All-time |
| Sept | Moderate |
| Oct | Inconsistent |
| Nov | Rare |
| Dec | Rare |
Does this wave fit your level?
Rated for Level 7 · Best at Level 7.
Take the 2-minute quiz to see if Pico Alto fits you today.
Find my Level →Beginner notes
Not a wave to surf, a wave to watch. Its own atlas entry grades the required experience as "pros or kamikaze only" and recommends a 9–10 ft gun; it breaks over rock well offshore, with rips and undertow and a long paddle to reach it. Graded 7 across the board because there is no version of this break that a Level 6 surfer should be talking themselves into. The Punta Hermosa camps teach on the sand beaches nearby — go and look at this one from the cliff.
Hazards
- rocks
- rip currents
- big wave
- long paddle
Nearby spots
The closest graded spots to Pico Alto, straight-line distance.
- Punta Rocas~3 km · Levels 4-7
Best months to surf here
In-season months for Peru, from our editors’ season calendar.
How this spot is sourced
Cross-checked against 2 sources, last checked August 2026.