Peruvian have been riding the waves since time immemorial.
The Moche culture, which flourished off Peru's north coast 2,000 years ago, left among its legacy the caballitos de totora, the one-man reed boats that to this day are ridden by the fishermen of Huanchaco, a village on the north coast.
The thousand-year-old design has varied little-its prow arches up to a point, like the fin of the surfing board that was first seen off Peruvian beaches in 1942.
Swimmers on Lima's Costa Verde beach believed it was Moses walking over the waves with his arms outstretched fetched.
But in fact, they were the first surfers to tackle Peru's waves with an invention exotic for its age, but nevertheless ideal for the Peruvian coastline.
Those pioneers of the surfboard had been combing the world in search of waves, unaware that just off the Lima district of Miraflores, practically outside their homes, awaited waves similar to those they had ridden in Hawaii.
Peru's beaches, now famous among surfers the world over in those days had seen practically unexplored, and had not even seen named.
Today these beaches host tournaments that draw surfers from all over the world, surfers who flock in search of the best waves on the continent.
Although it looks out over the Pacific Ocean, the seas off Peru's 3,000 kilometer-long coastline are anything but pacific.
Less than half of Peru's beaches have been explored, due to their difficult access-the Panamerican Highway rarely runs right next to the coast.
But then, this is a country of endless discoveries and the spirit of adventure can overcome the lack of roads.
Proof of this is that national champions such as Roberto Meza and Magoo de la Rosa every year seek out new beaches.
One recent discovery was made near the southern port of Ilo.
An imaginary journey along Peru's coast would show us that the best-known beaches are to be found off the coasts of Lima and the northern coastal city of Piura.
Peru's beaches, however do not match the typical stereotype of a palm-fringed sandy shore.
But their waves are surfers' real paradise, waves that during Lima's winter are constant, while off the north coast waves break harder between October and March.
Depending on the area or the season, waves can break to the left or the right, in normal fashion or in the form of a tube, a phenomenon that occurs In few places on Earth.
On the ocean wave The beaches south of Lima that are best-loved by surfers are to be found off San Gallan Island, off the Paracas peninsula 300 kilometers south of Lima.
The beach features tubular waves up to 3 meters high which break to the right; Cerro Azul, 136 kilometers south, has long and perfect waves 2 meters high that break to the left, while Puerto Viejo, at Kilometer 68 of the South Panamerican Highway is riddled with long, tubular-shaped, 2-meter-high waves.
Punta Hermosa, which lies closer to Lima, is full of swift waves, ranging from I to 3 meters high, most of which break to the right.
The biggest attraction in the Punta Hermosa area, and the most dangerous one at that, is the now legendary beach of Pico Alto, where enormous, powerful waves break above the 4-meter line.
This beach is a test for experienced surfers in good physical shape who can survive being tumbled by successive waves that can rise up to 8 meters in height and break half a kilometer from the shore after a long run.
To put it bluntly, if you're not a pro, just watch from the beach.
Javier Fernandez, editor of surfing magazine TABUSTA, claims pico Alto has South America's largest surfable wave and needs exceptional tidal conditions to break well, mainly between April and November.
The Costa Verde beaches along Lima's shorefront feature even waves that crash onto a stony shoreline.
It is privileged in that It is located close to the city, which means city surfers can hit the waves at lunchtime, before going back to work or university.
The waves mostly break to the left, short waves that vary their route.
The exception to the rule is La Herradura in Lima's Chorrillos district, where waves only break in heavy seas, reaching 4 meters high.
More than 500 kilometers north of Lima lies Huanchaco, near the city of Trujillo, where there are fast, well-formed waves reaching 2.
5 meters in height.
There is also the renowned wave of Chicama, reputed to be the longest on Earth a 3-meter-high wave that rolls to the left for nearly a kilometer in the shape of a tube.
Finally, in the area of Talara, near the Ecuadorian border one can find some of the finest beaches in Peru, drenched in sunshine year-round thanks to their proximity to the Equator This area is home to the best waves of the north coast: Cabo Blanco, where tubular 3-meter-high waves run to the left; Organos, with some of the best left-rolling waves to be found, and the easy waves off the picturesque beach resort of Mancora, close to Ecuador.
All these areas enjoy waves year-round, while in other surfing areas around the world like Australia or Hawaii, the big waves can vanish for months at a time.
This is why some 10,000 Peruvians surf off Peru all year-long, despite the lack of hotels in the lesser-known beaches.
Joining them are a selection of Brazil's 700,000 surfers, as well as hundreds of Europeans and Australians who scour the world in search of the perfect wave that every surfer dreams of surfing one day.