Watch: When Did Peru Turn Into Namibia?!

Poseidon isn’t the only one behind the control panel of sand and swell.

For a long time, surf magazines like ourselves have been referring to Peru as the Land of the Lefts*.

Then came Namibia.

Upon its international arrival, Skeleton Bay commanded the focus of every computer and phone across the surfosphere. All remaining luster for left-hand points was immediately pointed in Africa’s direction, igniting what I’d like to think was a decade of fiery resentment within the once-revered surf nation of Peru. With COVID-19 creating incredible barriers to entry and the world at a general loss for viral African Go-Pro clips, now was the perfect time to strike.

The sand lay steady, the swell aligned, and in the past month, Peru has taken back some of the love lost to its peppy African step-sister. Jonathan Gubbins, Alvaro Malpartida, Alonso Correa and crew have been making the rounds both literally (after each leg-burning barrel) as well as on Instagram, when Jonathan dropped the below clip on September 28th. 

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Religious, agnostic, FLDS, whatever you are—the similarity here is too much to simply leave up to chance. While this wave seems more apt to clamp and offers the odd turn section, $5 you would fail a blind test if asked the difference between the wave at 2:08 and Skeleton Bay. This has to be some spiteful revenge from the Peruvian wave gods reclaiming their rightful spot as the world’s premier producer of screw footed smiles**.

Click in above, and don’t miss the 30-second double barrel at 4:30. That had to feel good. 

*Wait for it

**You see?