The Next Step – The Peruvian International Surfing Championship
Just as the seeds of the Makaha International were sprouting, the shores of Peru were being prepared as the next competitive surfing hotbed. The first Peru international Surfing Championship held in 1955 was organized by the shore side resort Club Waikiki as an informal competition between Club Waikiki and the San Onofre surf clubs. Club Waikiki, located at Miraflores Beach, was founded by Carlos Dogney (an early Peruvian surfing legend). That initial event was won by future International Surfing Federation president Eduardo Arena. The contest was so successful that the following year, the Peruvians invited a Hawaiian team to compete. The event continued to grow.
In 1961, John Severson (founder of Surfer Magazine) won the event. Other notable winners include Felipe Pomar, Fred Hemmings, Corky Carrol, Joey Cabell, Mike Doyle, and Jeff Hakman. While fierce competition was the draw for surfers, later stories from key players chronicle hard partying with the Peruvian upper crust and impromptu trips to high-end brothels during down time.
The Peru International Surfing Championships approached its zenith the 1962. Attended by California, Hawaii, Australia, France, and Peru, that particular event was later described as the first true “international” surf competition, including a new objective set of international rules that scored surfers based on speed and length of ride. In contrast, the Makaha contest still judged competitors based on the subjective aspect of style. The 1965 contest also doubled as the World Surfing Championships, and in 1969, it had become the most important competitive arena outside the United States. The event boasted a 54-man line-up (with the world’s best big wave riders competing in10-to-12 foot surf) In front of some 2,000 Peruvian spectators. Winner Mike Doyle won $1,000.
By the time the Peruvian Surfing Federation took the reins from Club Waikiki in 1973, the contest had dwindled in prestige and was cancelled in 1975.
The Next Step – The Peruvian International Surfing Championship
Just as the seeds of the Makaha International were sprouting, the shores of Peru were being prepared as the next competitive surfing hotbed. The first Peru international Surfing Championship held in 1955 was organized by the shore side resort Club Waikiki as an informal competition between Club Waikiki and the San Onofre surf clubs. Club Waikiki, located at Miraflores Beach, was founded by Carlos Dogney (an early Peruvian surfing legend). That initial event was won by future International Surfing Federation president Eduardo Arena. The contest was so successful that the following year, the Peruvians invited a Hawaiian team to compete. The event continued to grow.
In 1961, John Severson (founder of Surfer Magazine) won the event. Other notable winners include Felipe Pomar, Fred Hemmings, Corky Carrol, Joey Cabell, Mike Doyle, and Jeff Hakman. While fierce competition was the draw for surfers, later stories from key players chronicle hard partying with the Peruvian upper crust and impromptu trips to high-end brothels during down time.
The Peru International Surfing Championships approached its zenith the 1962. Attended by California, Hawaii, Australia, France, and Peru, that particular event was later described as the first true “international” surf competition, including a new objective set of international rules that scored surfers based on speed and length of ride. In contrast, the Makaha contest still judged competitors based on the subjective aspect of style. The 1965 contest also doubled as the World Surfing Championships, and in 1969, it had become the most important competitive arena outside the United States. The event boasted a 54-man line-up (with the world’s best big wave riders competing in10-to-12 foot surf) In front of some 2,000 Peruvian spectators. Winner Mike Doyle won $1,000.
By the time the Peruvian Surfing Federation took the reins from Club Waikiki in 1973, the contest had dwindled in prestige and was cancelled in 1975.
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