Ala Moana

Ala Moana is a left reef break that requires groundswell from the southwest in waves of at least half a meter to perform well, though it holds overhead and double-overhead in larger swells up to about two meters. The break works consistently year-round and responds best to northeast offshore winds. It breaks over a boulder and reef base that can stretch for over a hundred meters. The primary challenges are powerful rips created by jetties built over the past two decades, which push surfers off the takeoff point and require steady paddling to maintain position; the spot also has sharp rocks, pollution in the water, marker buoys, and crowding during good swells.

Ala Moana is part of Barranco's historic wave-riding zone, with early documented wave riders in the area around 1909. The district's surf scene received media attention by 1924 when a sports magazine featured wave riding on homemade boards at Barranco beaches. The construction of a freeway connecting Lima's coastal districts and subsequent jetty installations altered the wave shapes and made certain beaches less accessible, directly reshaping Ala Moana's characteristics and the rips that now define the break.

The spot sits at the southern end of Barranco's beach runs within Lima's Costa Verde area, accessible from the Barranco neighborhood itself. Access to the break is straightforward from this established surfing district.