This Tuesday August 14th, the wave of Pico Alto demonstrated again it well deserves to be part of the Big Wave World Tour during today's Billabong Pico Alto event, presented by Xperia Sony Smartphone.

During the tournament the atmosphere was filled with excitement and adrenaline among competitors. Ocean conditions were improving as the event progressed with waves 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)