First protected waves

On 18 February 2016, the government of Peru enacted Law 27280, aka "Ley de Rompientes" ("Law of the Breakers"), forbidding any construction up to 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) from Punta Malabrigo near the city of Puerto Malabrigo in north-west Peru. The legislation was brought in to safeguard the region's waves, known as Chicama or Mamape, which are world-famous among surfers for their frequency and duration, covering up to 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) unbroken.

Within the surfing community, it's widely acknowledged that Chicama waves are the longest in the world. "Mamape" roughly translates to "never-ending wave". The best swells are generally found between April and November when there is more storm activity in the Pacific.

One wave has the potential to last about four minutes. In 2012, Cristobal de Col surfed the wave for 2 min 20 sec.

The wave has a total of four breaks: Malpaso, Keys, El Point and El Hombre.

While Chicama was the first wave to receive national protection enshrined in national law, 32 further sites in Peru cherished for their waves had also been granted protection by 2019, with the ultimate aim of safeguarding 130 waves.