Northern Chile

This time of year, the South Pacific has no shortage of heaving death pits, from Teahupoo to Chile. Jamie Sterling and Greg Long are no strangers to chasing 'em around, from one side of the ocean to the other. This time, it's Chile. But summer ain't over yet -- stay tuned.

Anthony Walsh takes the win in good waves at El Gringo in Chile.

Quarterfinalists decided in glassy slab barrels at El Gringo in Chile.

Remaining contestants thread glassy slab tube rides at El Gringo in Chile.

El Gringo continues to produce overhead barrels in Chile.

El Gringo delivers barreling lefts for the first day of competition in Chile.

Guillermo Satt wins Arica Pro Challenge in all-Chilean final at El Gringo.

Chilean WQS event sees great tubes at El Gringo.

Andy Irons takes down Damien Hobgood in the final.

Read the entire story on the final day here.

Dingo beats Slater, Andy down Parko and the waves in Chile continue to take their toll on boards, bodies and top-ranked seeds. Day 7 is complete and there are only five heats remaining....

Read the entire story on Day Seven here.

Andy Irons slept in again, and worse yet he didn't bring a back-up board. The ex-champ shows up minutes before his heat against veteran Victor Ribas. As Andy paddles out, the Billabong Team Manager discusses plan B with Cory Lopez...

Check the full story on Day Six here.

Goofyfoot advantage: it's an antiquated notion at most left barrels on tour, a conceptual relic from the singlefin, Lopez-at-Pipe era. But today, in challenging yet manageable conditions, hardly any regularfoots managed to beat their goofy opponents...

Check the full story on Day Five here.

The surfers are starting to stress. Adriano de Souza is still in the hospital with 15 stitches; 5 internal and 10 external. Under ominous gray skies, the day starts off with an all South African heat and building swell. Royden Bryson sets the tone with another body to rock slap-down; Travis Logie wins the heat without relish: "We thought it was going to be a fun heat, but it was actually a bit heavy. I snapped a board and Royden landed straight on dry reef, and I think he's a bit concussed actually. He paddled back out and he was throwing up so I'm a bit worried about him."

Check the full story on Day Two here.

Is the wave they call 'The Chilean Pipeline' legit? After today's opening rounds, we can safely say, "Hell yeah." We're talking about a gruntly, jacking horseshoe; an R-rated wave out of a Tarantino movie, more likely to induce Grindhouse-style carnage than deliver soft-sand perfection...

Check the full story on Day One here.

A Bowlful of Chile serves up a heaping portion of thick lips and nasty pits as the Top 44 not only survive, but rip their way through two weeks of freesurf and contest heats in a flurry of barrels and bandages.

Available in surf shops August 25th and online at www.moceanflix.com

Six years ago, this wave -- "El Gringo" in Arica, Chile -- kicked the shit out of the best surfers in the world. Since that fateful one-off, the 2007 Rip Curl Pro Search Chile, we really haven't seen a lot of apex pros bothering with this ridiculously shallow lefthand slab, or the mussel-covered rocks beneath it.

This suits South American chargers like Brazilian bulldog Everaldo Pato just fine. Surfing El Gringo alone -- that promises a more intimate glory. In that respect, one session here actually lasts a lifetime.

Waiting period begins 15 Apr- 15 Jul 2008, held at Punta de Lobos, VI Region, Chile. More info on www.protowsurfers.org