Montañita’s hostels are fully booked. The tiny town is prepared to host a major surf tournament starting tomorrow.

For the first time since 2009, the International Surfing Association (ISA) picked Ecuador as the site for oneof their world championships. Teams from 25 countries will compete in the World Master Surfing Championship, the premier competition for surfers aged 35 and up. In 2009, Montañita hosted the ISA’s World Juniors.

Ecuador’s team hopes to hold their own against masters of the sport such as last year’s Master-category champion Magnum Martínez (Venezuela), 2012’s Grand Master champion Sunny García (Hawaii), and the defending champion in the women’s category Rochelle Ballard, also from Hawaii.

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