Burle Tames Peru
Wed 15 August 2012 Cranking 30 ft surf hit Peru yesterday, giving Carlos Burle the platform he needed to win the Billabong Pico Alto, part of theBig Wave World Tour. SA's Frank Solomon did not make it past Round One despite a brave showing. Press release follows.
It was a week of big waves last week, with the southern hemisphere on fire. First Dungeons cranked on Sunday with a 20 foot swell, and then Peru was hit by a giant 30 foot wave.
Pico Alto again demonstrated that it deserves to be part of the Big Wave World Tour with the event, presented by Xperia Sony Smartphone.
Ocean conditions improved all day and some bombs came through, some in excess of 30 foot. The spectators were amazed at the magnitude of the waves and filled the stands on the top of the cliff at Punta Hermosa.
The Peruvians Sebastian de Romana, Tamil Martino, Rafael Velarde, Kodiak Semsch, Rafael Otero and Gabriel Villaran showed great determination and talent in facing the waves today. However, the Peruvian and former winner of the event in 2006, Jose Gomez surprised everyone by being the only local in the final.
Some surfers experienced extreme moments like Peruvian Rafael Velarde who felt the intensity of Pico Alto in his first heat, when he got a cut on his face and forced Rafael out of the water. Then, Californian Ken "Skindog" Collins got smashed by his board and broke his nose in his first heat. This did not stop “Skindog” who made it out of his heat and all the way to a 3rd place finish.
After the final started with a 10 minute lull, the ocean began to pump the biggest waves of the day ranging from 35 to 40 feet. The series was a hard battle displaying awesome surfing and great experience in big wave riding. At the end it was mainly between Carlos Burle (BRA) and Greg Long (USA), with Burle declared the clear winner at the Billabong Pico Alto 2012.
“I am very excited. The truth is I wasn’t sure I had won. I love Peru. It was one of the first places I traveled to compete. I have very good friends here and I am very happy to earn this victory. Thank you very much to Billabong for having this event,” said Carlos Burle.
We are thankful for the collaboration of our sponsors: Burn, Mapfre, Corona Extra, VonZipper glasses and Nixon watches, who made it possible to carry out this grand event.
RESULTS -
Billabong Pico Alto 2012 & Big Wave World Tour 2012/2013 Current ranking:
1. Carlos Burle (BRA)
2. Greg Long (USA)
3. Ken “Skindog” Collins (USA)
4. Jose Gomez (PERU)
5. Ramon Navarro (CHI)
6. Jeffrey Rowley (AUS)