El Rancio
Edit SpotAbout
This spot is absolutely epic. It keeps its shape from waist high to solid 6 foot bombs. The locals compared it to The Box but I's say it's a cross between the Box and Shark Island. Truly a perfect wave for a bodyboard and a real nightmare on a stick. Enjoy!!
Atmosphere:
No stand ups surf this wave except for Shane Dorian when he was there with the Billabong Odyssey crew so its full of boogers ranging from 12 to 25 years old. Real tight take off zone so be friendly cause your literally on top of each other waiting for the next wave.
You'll see why its called Rancids when the fish factory releases the fish crap into the ocean....
Additional Info:
Surf it hard and the locals will give you respect AND waves. Start on the peak and drop in for a great barrel or race it and hit the end bowl section and fly like superman. Learn some spanish so you can talk to the locals cause they can't understand any english.
Location
Loading...Access
Get a cab from Arica and its 5 minutes south of town in front of the pescado (fish) factory. Get the cab to drop you off at the gates and walk around onto the rocks for 5 minutes and you'll see the wave and a group of boogers sitting on the rocks.
Walk | Short walk (5-15 min) |
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Public access | Yes |
4x4 required | Unknown |
Boat required | Unknown |
Wave Characteristics
Type | Reef (rocky) |
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Direction | Right |
Bottom | Reef (coral, sharp rocks etc.) |
Power | Hollow, Fast, Powerful |
Frequency | Very consistent (150+ days/year) |
Normal length | Short (<50m) |
Good day length | Normal (50 to 150m) |
Ideal Conditions
Wind direction | SouthEast, East, NorthEast |
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Swell direction | West, SouthWest |
Swell size | 3ft-5ft - 12ft |
Tide | All tides |
Tide movement | Don't know |
Crowd
Week | Ultra crowded |
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Weekend | Ultra crowded |
Dangers
Urchins, Rocks, Pollution
Videos
None
Nearby spots
1.52 miles away
Direction: | Right and left |
Bottom: | Sandy with rock |
Frequency: | Regular (100 days/year) |
2.08 miles away
Direction: | Right and left |
Bottom: | Reef (coral, sharp rocks etc.) |
Frequency: | Regular (100 days/year) |
2.08 miles away
Direction: | Right and left |
Bottom: | Sandy with rock |
Frequency: | Sometimes breaks (50 days/year) |