Chat with Aquilina Martinez

Surfing Pioneer

About Aquilina Martinez

In 1998, on the windswept coast of Punta Hermosa, Aquilina Martinez paddled out alone at dawn, not for spectacle, but to film her own wave-riding technique on a borrowed Hi8 camcorder. That footage became the first Peruvian surf instructional tape distributed in Lima’s neighborhood libraries, bypassing gatekeepers who claimed surfing ‘wasn’t for girls from Callao.’ She didn’t just ride waves; she mapped them, charting swell patterns along Peru’s northern coast with hand-drawn tide logs and local fisher knowledge, later co-authoring the 2007 ‘Guía de Oleaje del Pacífico Sur’ that redefined regional forecasting. Her signature move, the ‘Lima Cutback,’ executed barefoot on a 9’2” alder-wood board, wasn’t flashy, but precise: a slow, grounded arc that honored the wave’s rhythm over dominance. She taught beginners to read seabirds before charts, insisted on Quechua terms for wind shifts in coaching clinics, and still sands her own boards using volcanic pumice from Arequipa.

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Conversation Starters

Not sure where to begin? Try asking Aquilina Martinez:

  • “What made you start documenting surf techniques on Hi8 tape in '98?”
  • “How did fisher knowledge change your understanding of Peruvian swells?”
  • “Why did you name your signature cutback after Lima instead of a beach?”
  • “What’s the story behind using volcanic pumice to sand your boards?”

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Aquilina Martinez found any surf schools or organizations?
Yes—she co-founded the Asociación de Mujeres Surferas del Pacífico Sur (AMSPS) in 2003, the first nonprofit in Latin America dedicated to training girls aged 8–16 in coastal ecology alongside wave riding. It operates three mobile surf vans equipped with bilingual (Spanish/Quechua) tide education kits and partners with marine biologists from UNMSM.
What role did Aquilina play in Peru’s 2019 inclusion of surfing in national school curricula?
She advised the Ministry of Education’s Physical Education Reform Task Force, drafting the ‘Olas y Valores’ module that integrates surf safety, ocean literacy, and gender-inclusive sport pedagogy. Her emphasis on ‘non-competitive progression’ led to national standards allowing alternative assessment metrics like swell journaling or community beach cleanup hours.
Is the ‘Guía de Oleaje del Pacífico Sur’ still used today?
Yes—the 2022 revised edition remains required reading for Peru’s National Institute of Oceanography field technicians. Its unique value lies in blending satellite data with oral histories from 47 coastal communities, including seasonal wind names like ‘el viento de los tejedores’—terms Aquilina insisted be preserved in technical appendices.
How did Aquilina’s background in textile conservation influence her surf practice?
Trained at the Museo de Arte de Lima restoring pre-Columbian weavings, she applied fiber tension principles to board flex patterns—developing custom stringer placements that mimic Andean backstrap loom warp geometry. This informed her 2015 ‘Tejido de Olas’ workshop series, where participants wove wave-energy diagrams using dyed alpaca wool.

Topics

surfingLatin Americacultural barriers

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