Windsurfing in Peru: A lifelong dream in Pacasmayo - Andrea Hoeppner on the wave of her life

Text: Andrea Hoeppner

Many of you probably think that as an ex-pro you can windsurf at a blatant level forever and ever. I can tell you that's not the case, at least not for me. But you can make sure that windsurfing remains the most beautiful sport in the world forever. "Never Not Windsurfing. How to Defeat Age and Keep the Stoke Alive" is the wonderful title of Sascha Lange's book, which is now on the market. That's going to be my motto in future, and I'm finally going to tackle it now that I'm 56 years old.

• Fitness for windsurfers: Sascha Lange presents his book "Never Not Windsurfing"

Taking part in a camp as an ex-professional?

March 2025, Witsands, Cape Town: There's not enough wind for windsurfing, at least not for me. Too bad, because the waves are actually quite nice and not too bad. So out with the wing thing. On the other hand, the waves are pretty nasty in combination with my riding skills. Kaboom! After a minute and before the first attempt to stand up, the session is over for me and my wing is history. That was it for today and the rest of my holiday. "How can you be so stupid?" I think to myself as I bump into ex-worldcupper Flo Jung, who has just come back from a successful wing session on land. We get talking about shattered dreams and dreams that you still want to fulfil. At my age, it's all about the bucket list.

For the past seven years, I've prioritised riding this incredibly perfect, long and seemingly good-natured wave on Pacasmayo beach in Peru. At least it looks gentle. And about three years ago, another goal was added: to ride the swell on a foil board in Chicama, also in Peru. But suddenly I no longer dare to go there alone without knowing my way around. Is it the age? Flo says: "I'm doing a camp there in September, why don't you come with me?" Me? As an ex-professional at a camp? I can probably still learn a lot there, but with people I don't know? With yoga, breathing exercises and group dynamics together in the morning? I might be the oldest participant. Am I even fit enough for it?

• Spot Guide Peru: Pacasmayo - The perfect school for waveriding

My spontaneous reaction was "No! No way! I'm not going to make a fool of myself." A week later, I thought: that would be cool. But a glance at the scales and in the mirror, as well as at the statistics from my last surfing holidays, quickly made me realise that I would have to change something about my lifestyle otherwise I would really embarrass myself. At the moment, nobody believes that I used to be a professional surfer. Okay, self-perception and external perception differ in this respect. From the outside, what I do may still look quite acceptable - for my age and for being a woman. Oh, how I hate and have always hated these additions! But I can feel that I'm no longer 30 and that the good life has left its mark on my hips. Probably every normal person over 45 knows this feeling to varying degrees. These are not good prerequisites for tackling the bucket list with fun.

"You have to go there!"

But first I have to clarify whether all this is even possible in terms of time. My husband and our daughter are tired of having to look at these posts and reels that I forward to them every day with the comment that we absolutely have to go there. "No, mum, we don't have to go there, you have to go there so that this whining finally stops!"

That sounds like carte blanche. So I make a booking with Surf & Action For the first time in my life, I have organised a package holiday with a surf camp, or "Learnival" as it is officially called. Now there's just one more hurdle to overcome, namely to be fit enough in four months' time to make the flight and costs worthwhile. I don't want to be sitting on the beach after two days with the sore muscles of my life or injure myself in the first wave.

The right preparation for a lifelong dream

April 2025 Manchester, any 08/15 business hotel: Now that I've booked the camp, I need to call surf coach Sascha Lange. Because I realise that I need help with training plans and motivation. Four months sounds like a long time, but it's also a long way. I feel pathetic revealing my physical condition by means of various questionnaires and admitting that I actually drink too much alcohol and like to eat unhealthy things far too much. I hardly know Sascha. But he thought it was all half as bad and that I was in good company.

The last time I trained seriously and with a goal was 25 years ago. After my career ended, I threw away all my training plans, put away my heart rate monitor, only did sport for fun and often enough not at all. I have to change that now, otherwise I won't grow old on the wave, but on the sofa or, even worse, I won't grow old at all.

After my career, I threw away all my training plans and only did sport for fun."

With a rather strenuous-looking training plan in my Google Drive folder, I'm off to Manchester in mid-April. The sales meeting for the launch of our customer Craghoppers' spring/summer 2026 collection is taking place there. Day one of my new training plan falls on a business trip, of all things. But I can't skip the first day. If I don't start now, things will get tighter and tighter as time goes on. What's more, Sascha has gone to the trouble of drawing up a plan that I can implement anywhere, including in any business hotel when travelling. The alarm clock rang absurdly early, the hotel floor is hard and disgusting. Learning for next time: bring a yoga mat! After an hour, I drag myself to breakfast, my whole body shaking, but in a great mood. I won't forget the sore muscles on the flight back to Hamburg, and neither will my colleague. We almost missed our connection in Amsterdam because I couldn't run fast enough.

Windsurfing is cool - but exhausting...

End of May 2025, Surf Festival, Fehmarn: The first few weeks of training are behind me. It's amazing how much fun it is when the progress is noticeable and visible. The healthier diet is also showing its first effects on the scales. Getting up earlier is easier for me now that the sun rises earlier. I am convinced that the attractive goal also releases a lot of energy in me.

A lot has happened in training science since my last training plan 25 years ago, and I'm impressed by how many exercises Sascha has in store that specifically help with windsurfing. I only go windsurfing extremely rarely at home. I haven't even had any wave equipment here for the last two years.

I only went windsurfing. It's not as strenuous and I can do it right on my doorstep more often than windsurfing in the waves. Plus, it's something new and I make progress quickly. But if I want to hit the waves in Peru, I should do it on a windsurfer, I'm simply better at it. So there's no way around picking up the boom more often again as preparation.

The first opportunity comes at the surf festival. I catch myself saying exactly what only recidivist kiters usually say: "Man, that's cool, but windsurfing is incredibly exhausting!" Compared to March in Cape Town, it's already going better - even with this exhausting slalom board. That motivates me immensely and I'm also getting new wave equipment for the summer on the Baltic Sea. Now all I have to do is coincide my free time and the wind, then there will be no more excuses.

Light wind training on the retro windsurfer

July/August 2025, Hamburg summer holidays on FehmarnThe family is unfortunately a little shorter this time, because Mum is doing all this nonsense with her bucket list and doesn't have enough holiday days. The wind also leaves a lot to be desired, but a good windsurfer trains in any wind. My former coach Hanspeter Lange used to say that. So I get the 3.60 metre retro windsurfer out of the shed. I had completely forgotten how nice it is to cruise along the coast in three force winds. And if you leave out the harness and do a few pump strokes, it also has a good training effect.

Packing for Pacasmayo

End of August 2025, Hamburg/Chiclayo: Finally it's time to go. If I used to start packing a maximum of three hours before departure, I now start three days before and in my head even earlier. What did Flo write? It can be chilly in the evening, so the fleece is a must and maybe a second pair of long trousers too. How many kilograms can it weigh? Somehow I manage to stow all my clothes in my hand luggage and only check in the surfing gear. My set-up: a Starboard Hyper 88, a real down-the-line wave board, 4.6 and 5.0 Severne S-1, also radical wave sails. In case the wind is too light, I also take the AK Phazer 65 with the 880 Plasma Foilset, my "one-size-fits-all wing combo". And two wings to be on the safe side this time. My forehead is covered in sweat at check-in. Is this really the excitement or is it still the menopause? With more luck than sense, everything goes for little money. Just 21 hours later I land in Chiclayo. I feel worse than I did on my first trip to Hawaii when I was 18, but it lasted 45 hours and included a night in the middle of my pile of surfing luggage at Los Angeles airport.

First comes the culture shock

29 August 2025, Pacasmayo, Peru: At breakneck speed and with no regard for pedestrians, dogs and tuc-tucs, only slowed down by potholes and sleeping policemen, we head straight from the airport to Pacasmayo. Culture shock. I've been to Argentina and Brazil and didn't expect Peru to be able to compete with Cape Town in terms of road traffic, architecture and landscape, but I didn't expect it to be so barren, dusty and full of rubbish. I have a guilty conscience - I shouldn't really be travelling like this anymore. My carbon footprint is ruined for the rest of my life. I should have thought about that earlier.

Now I'm here, and when I arrive, the first windsurfers are just taking to the water. All my tiredness suddenly falls away and I can hardly wait to get out on the water. Who knows if it will be this windy over the next few days? So every minute has to be utilised. I know from the camp WhatsApp group that other participants are already here a few days before the official start. It's not difficult for me to identify the couple from North Rhine-Westphalia and make contact. My initial concerns are quickly dispelled. They may be a few years younger than me, but they really aren't 30 years old anymore and are real cheerful characters. As they've both been here for two days, I'm immediately familiarised with the special features of the area. Sandbanks, fishing nets, currents, all unproblematic. For the fact that everyone has said that planing winds are an absolute rarity here, it's bouncing quite well. In any case, with my 5.0 sail I'm planing straight from the beach and up at the point in two strokes. The first wave I catch is mine. Luckily it's still empty at the point. Actually, I'd better keep quiet and not write about it, but it's certainly not always so fantastic here.

Every wave pure happiness

I ride my first turn very carefully, the second a little better, then another and another, more and more courageously. At some point I stop counting, connect the sections and ride my first wave until I'm back down at the starting point. My heart is pumping with all its might and I could scream with happiness. Man, that's awesome! After two hours, I'm exhausted but happy. This is exactly what I had imagined. If this was the only day with wind, it would have been worth it - oh no, not at all, please give me more!

The other participants and our camp coaches Flo Jung and Nick Spangenberg arrive over the next few days. I was particularly looking forward to meeting Nick. I met him a few times at boot Düsseldorf and in Cape Town and he struck me as a likeable and very reflective young person. He is really serious about his teaching studies and yet he competes in the World Cup. That impresses me. At the same time, he has trained very nimble fingers for drone and camera control and has developed a good eye for beautiful cuts and images. That's why he's the perfect complement to Flo Jung as a camp coach.

Tow-In in Chicama

1 September 2025, Chicama, Peru: In the end, all the participants arrive a few days early. My concerns from the preparations are dispelled and we get on so well that we go on an excursion together even before the official start. A day trip to Chicama. With surfboards, wings and all the foil solder, there's hardly any room for us in the car. The spot really does look like the dreamy videos. For once, they haven't exaggerated. We have the luxury of a shuttle boat, which first helps the surfers from the group to have fun with little paddling and then tows Flo and me to tow-in foiling. On my third attempt, I foiled the first wave. I even manage to keep my eyes on the incredible coastal landscape and the pelicans passing by. Unbelievable - I can't get enough of it!

Party waves and systematic training

2 to 7 September 2025, Pacasmayo: The wind comes in every day from midday, as if a switch has been flicked - sometimes it's even enough for the 4.6. So we have to economise our strength so that we can make the most of every day. We quickly got into our rhythm: a theory lesson in the morning, followed by some reading time and then off to the water. Over time, I also got into the habit of making the most of the video analyses and setting myself specific tasks and goals for my sessions. Once an athlete, always an athlete. My ambition was awakened, and being in a group on the water, cheering each other on and complimenting each other is simply ten times better than being alone. The best waves of all are the ones you share. I enjoy "pigtail rides" with Nick or Flo, and a very special "party wave" with Laia from Spain will stay in my memory forever. Laia runs a sports and ski school in the Pyrenees and has a little more time for water sports in the summer. In her mid-thirties, she is still young enough to test her limits and is blessed with a fearlessness that is unrivalled. On our last day in Pacasmayo, the three-star World Cup begins and Laia and Isabel are persuaded to take part. Laia rode confidently to second place and decided to compete in the World Cup more often in future, while Isabel came fourth.

My need to take part in competitions is covered for the rest of my life, plus I had unfortunately injured my foot in a fall two days earlier, which gave me a two-day break. After that, my foot wasn't so comfortable in a foot strap and I spent a few days wingfoiling without straps.

Punta Luna: Secluded paradise with a dream ambience

8 to 13 September 2025, Punta Luna: To avoid the World Cup circus and the hustle and bustle on the water, Flo had planned our camp so that we would spend the last few days at a different spot. In Punta Luna, the waves are a little stronger and the wind is usually a little stronger. The spot can only be reached by off-roader and there is only one place to stay in the area, which has been designated a national park. Our most experienced camp participant, Philipp, was there last year and has been raving about it for days. Our expectations are correspondingly high. Of course, the journey takes longer than expected, so we arrive starving, thirsty and dusty. The beautiful half-timbered house with its spacious bedrooms, an outdoor living and dining room with an open-plan kitchen right on the beach exceeds all expectations.

It doesn't get any better than this? The house is run by three incredibly friendly sisters who seem to spend the whole day making sure we want for nothing. Unfortunately, the three of them are a bit camera-shy. After the somewhat simpler accommodation in Pacasmayo, this place feels like five-star superior category, so even the salt water in the shower doesn't shock me. Where is the fresh water supposed to come from in the middle of the desert? The full board with food cooked from fresh regional ingredients is also top class. Plus a starry sky like I've never seen before and a full moonrise that looks like a sunrise.

Smaller waves, but more wind in Punta Luna

But we are here to windsurf and not to laze around. Punta Luna gives us plenty of wind every day. Twice I would even have liked to have had a smaller sail. The waves are actually quite small, but more powerful and the wind is quite offshore. A good opportunity to improve my down-the-line wave riding, if it wasn't for the problem with my foot. Assuming that I had only stretched my ligaments, I had consulted Alex, the pharmacist who had travelled with me, about the appropriate measures and medication, which I then obtained from the Inca Pharmacy in Pacasmayo. My plan for Punta Luna was to ignore the pain, just like in the old professional days, and give it my all on the water - nothing could break. Admittedly, it wasn't my smartest idea, but it was worth it because I was on the water every day.

Unfortunately, it turned out afterwards that I had broken a metatarsal after all. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't know, because it really was the best surf trip of my life. I've never had wind and waves of this quality every single day on a trip. To any imitators: this seems to have been an absolute exception. All the locals and spot experts say that you are normally almost never planing when you go out and that you need a very large wave board. Apparently there are also days with no wind at all. Then it can be difficult, because Pacasmayo doesn't have much to offer as a location. For people who want to surf-eat-sleep-repeat, it's the perfect spot if the conditions are right. If not, I recommend plenty of reading material and good company.

What is the next goal?

What's on your bucket list? I still have Chile, New Zealand and Mauritius ahead of me. I'll keep training for that. With an attractive goal, you can definitely achieve a lot in your life. I would be delighted if I have contributed to more of us old windsurfers venturing out on the water more often. True to the motto: Keeping the stoke alive!

Flo Jung is also offering several of his camps at the best spots in the world in 2026. Information and dates can be found here: Flow Experience Camps with Flo Jung

Surf & Action offers camps and learnivals for all skill levels at the best spots for quick success: www.surf-action.com/events