2024 ISA World Surfing Games: Get to know the waves that will challenge the world's best surfers in the final opportunity to secure Olympic quotas
Also known as "the Pipeline of Puerto Rico," Olympics.com dives into the world-renowned reef breaks of Maraga, El Pico and Rastrial where all of the action will go down from 22 February to 3 March
Surfing
The 2024 ISA World Surfing Games are kicking off on 22 February in Puerto Rico, and in the words of ISA President Fernando Aguerre, the competition is shaping up to be one “for the ages.”
Maraga, along with twin breaks El Pico and Rastrial are world-renowned reef breaks in the municipality of Recibo on the northern coast of the island where all of the action will go down. As these Games are the final opportunity for surfers to obtain an Olympic quota for their nation, the pressure is on
“We are very excited about returning to Puerto Rico, following their historic hosting of the World Championships back in 1968 and 1988,” Aguerre said when ISA announced that Puerto Rico would host the 2024 edition of the Games.
“Our friends and partners from Puerto Rico, led by Richard Carrion, have shown they are a community and a destination worthy of surfing’s greatest events. I have no doubt this will be a World Surfing Games for the ages. I cannot wait to return to this beautiful island in 2024 to celebrate this epic moment in Olympic surfing history.”
The breaks are unlike any of the previous locations where the Games have been held, including 2023’s competition that took place in Surf City, El Salvador, 2022’s in Huntington Beach, California, or even pre-pandemic Games including those that took place at Kisakihama Beach, Japan.
Here is more about the fate-defining waves that will challenge the athletes at the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024
Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
Margara
Also known as ‘the Pipeline of Puerto Rico,’ Margara will act at the primary break for the Games and is located on the northern coast of the island.
According to surfspots.co, it is the “one of the most powerful beaches on the island, with the heaviest and most perfect barrels in the whole Atlantic.”
When conditions are right, the break offers some heavy, spitting barrels that go both left and right and works best when hitting overhead to triple overhead heights.
Known for being at its best in the autumn and winter, surfers are expected to see some great conditions with the games kicking off towards the end of February.
El Pico and Rastrial
The twin peaks of El Pico and Rastrial will serve as the secondary break for the Games. They are lesser-known reef breaks that split to the left and right, but predominantly favor the lefts. With winter still in season, there is a chance of some major swell to roll through between 22 February and 3 March.