Captain Condell of the "Covadonga" realized that the quicker but heavier "Independencia" had a deeper draft than his schooner. He kept close to the coast, with "Independencia" in pursuit, while both ships exchanged fire. The "Independencia's" lack of trained gunners and the "Covadonga's" accurate sniper fire prolonged the chase for over three hours. Chilean-Mapuche sniper Juan Bravo was hailed after the battle for taking down numerous Peruvians. Captain More of the "Independencia" decided to take a riskier approach and ram the Chilean ship. Constantly sounding the depth, he attempted to do so twice, only to have to call off the attack when approaching the shallows. Close to Punta Gruesa, a shallow cove, "Covadonga" scraped and barely cleared a reef. The "Independencia", attempting to ram for a third time, struck the obstacle and immediately took on water while listing to starboard. The "Covadonga" then turned around and opened fire, while "Independencia'"s crew returned fire and tried to float her off the reef.