14:47 | Lima, Oct. 08 (ANDINA).
The legendary Peruvian northern beach of Huanchaco will be officially dedicated as a World Surfing Reserve Saturday, October 26th in a series of beachfront celebrations and ceremonies.
The heralded Huanchaco surf zone joins just four other sites to claim such status--Malibu in California, Ericeira in Portugal, Manly Beach in Australia, and Santa Cruz in California.
Huanchaco will represent the first World Surfing Reserve site in Latin America. The dedication ceremony will officially establish the Huanchaco World Surfing Reserve, covering approximately five miles of surf-rich, environmentally diverse coastline.
Huanchaco received its approval as a World Surfing Reserve in October 2012. Its application ranked highly on all World Surfing Reserve's criteria: wave quality and consistency, unique environmental characteristics, surf culture and history, and community support.
Most impressive is Huanchaco's strong ocean heritage, which spans over 3,000 years. The strong ocean culture of Huanchaco is credited with being the birthplace of Peru's "caballito de totora" - one of humanity's earliest known surf crafts used to ply the waves for both work and pleasure.
"Huanchaco is surfing's equivalent to the great pyramids, an ancient cradle for surf culture. I am excited to watch Huanchaco continue to evolve its surfing heritage as a World Surfing Reserve," said Fernando Aguerre, member of the World Surfing Reserves Vision Council and president of the International Surfing Association.
Felipe Pomar, the 1965 World Surfing Champion, who continues to be a prominent ambassador and elder statesman for Peruvian surfing culture, said: "I am excited and very pleased with this news regarding the Huanchaco World Surfing Reserve, Huanchaco has a wave-riding tradition that dates back thousands of years."
Then he added, "I commend World Surfing Reserves and all Peruvians for moving to preserve and protect this unique and historic beach."
The Huanchaco World Surfing Reserve dedication ceremony will kick off on Friday, October 25th with an evening cultural exhibition showcasing the caballitos de totora, and live traditional music.
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Published: 10/8/2013