That purple blob is being called the swell of the year. Image: Surfline.com
Game on, folks. The 2014 Billabong Pico Alto, Peru, got the green light after being on Yellow Alert as Big Wave World Tour officials watched the swell build off Antarctica. ASP Big Wave Commissioner, Peter Mel, called the conditions ideal and is excited to get the 2014/2015 season started on Thursday.
The Big Wave World Tour is divided in half – a Northern Hemisphere and a Southern Hemisphere half each – with the Southern Hemisphere section taking place between April 15 and August 31 and stopping at Chile, Peru and South Africa. The Northern Hemisphere stops fall between October 15 and February 28, 2015, and make landfall in Mexico, the Spanish Basque Country and Maui.
2012 was the last time this event ran in Peru, and Carlos Burle took out the field. Burle is listed as an ASP BWWT wildcard for the Billabong Pico Alto event this time around.
As the biggest swell of the year, and what’s being called one of the biggest in the last couple years, makes its way toward land, all eyes will be on the big, purple blob as it’s expected to peak on Thursday, July 3. Wave heights are expected to be in the 25-40 foot range with larger waves not being ruled out.
Here’s who you can expect to see in Peru:
ASP BWWT Top 12:
1. Grant Baker (ZAF)
2. Ken Collins (USA)
3. Nic Lamb (USA)
4. Shawn Dollar (USA)
5. Kohl Christensen (HAW)
6. Alex Gray (USA)
7. Greg Long (USA)
8. Ryan Augestein (USA)
9. Anthony Tashnick (USA)
10. Ramon Navarro (CHL)
11. Jamie Mitchell (AUS)
12. Tyler Fox (USA)
ASP BWWT Peru Wildcards:
1. Kelly Slater (USA)
2. Ben Wilkinson (AUS)
3. Makua Rothman (HAW)
4. Jamie Sterling (HAW)
5. Carlos Burle (BRA)
6. Gabriel Villaran (PER)
Local Peru Wildcards:
1. Miguel Tudela
2. Rafael Velarde
3. Kodiak Semsch
4. Tamil Martino
5. Alejo Loret del Mola
6. Renzo Zazzali
Watch the live webcast at aspworldtour.com
