Arica … the world’s most dangerous place to surf
Two rivers flow in Arica: The San Jose located closer to the center-north of the city, usually dry, and The Lluta to the north of the city. Its sediments create a sandy beach of several kilometers, which continues under different names even in Peru (Chinchorro and Las Machas on the Chilean side).
With the summer rains in the highlands (so-called Bolivian winter) usually their flow are increased, depositing sediments needed to maintain the beach, but approx. every 10 years we have a huge flood and overflow all its channels.
Until a couple of days ago the only problem was sanitary, the “people” unfortunately uses the dry bed of the San Jose to dump waste of all types and quantities unimaginable, the river generated a good bank to surf, but a terrible ecological setting with lots of garbage at sea, and as you can imagine beaches are closed by pollution, which honestly has not stopped us to surf.
But now we have a new risk, not of an abdominal pain and vomiting, but vital. With the overflow of Lluta the Army “lost” over 200 anti-tank and anti-personnel landmines of minefields that were on the border with Peru (illegal of course, due to international treaties signed by Chile in the matter), the mines were swept into the sea and to this date the whereabouts of 157 of them are unknown, some exploited when moved by currents, others were near the main road that goes to Peru and others are simply lost in the sea or the beach.
As a result of this the border is closed, access to the north side of the beach is closed with police custody, now your surfing in Arica will be “Apocalypse Now style”.
As a friend wrote on fb, “Arica… truly the world’s most dangerous place to surf, if not kill by el Gringo or el Buey… the landmines will kill you”!!!.
Arica … the world’s most dangerous place to surf
Two rivers flow in Arica: The San Jose located closer to the center-north of the city, usually dry, and The Lluta to the north of the city. Its sediments create a sandy beach of several kilometers, which continues under different names even in Peru (Chinchorro and Las Machas on the Chilean side).
With the summer rains in the highlands (so-called Bolivian winter) usually their flow are increased, depositing sediments needed to maintain the beach, but approx. every 10 years we have a huge flood and overflow all its channels.
Until a couple of days ago the only problem was sanitary, the “people” unfortunately uses the dry bed of the San Jose to dump waste of all types and quantities unimaginable, the river generated a good bank to surf, but a terrible ecological setting with lots of garbage at sea, and as you can imagine beaches are closed by pollution, which honestly has not stopped us to surf.
But now we have a new risk, not of an abdominal pain and vomiting, but vital. With the overflow of Lluta the Army “lost” over 200 anti-tank and anti-personnel landmines of minefields that were on the border with Peru (illegal of course, due to international treaties signed by Chile in the matter), the mines were swept into the sea and to this date the whereabouts of 157 of them are unknown, some exploited when moved by currents, others were near the main road that goes to Peru and others are simply lost in the sea or the beach.
As a result of this the border is closed, access to the north side of the beach is closed with police custody, now your surfing in Arica will be “Apocalypse Now style”.
As a friend wrote on fb, “Arica… truly the world’s most dangerous place to surf, if not kill by el Gringo or el Buey… the landmines will kill you”!!!.
Publicado hace 3 meses & Archivado en Arica, Minefieds, Surfing, Ver en alta resolución
