Euskadi has a coast of more than 200 kilometers full of sandbanks, beaches and waves, most of them optimal for surfing. Among the wide variety of existing spots, there are all types: sandy, rocky, open to the sea, sheltered and protected from the wind, for experts or amateurs...
There are spots with great influx like Sopela, Zarautz or La Zurriola, or more calm and wild as Menakoz, in Barrika, or those we find on the road between Zumaia and Getaria. Also noteworthy are the big wave spots such as Punta Galea, Orrua, Sorginetxe or Playa Gris, and other world-famous waves such as the eternal Mundaka.
The Basque coast covers the provinces of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, excellent locations, since they are easily accessed by land, sea and air. Euskadi is a land of welcomes, and a perfect destination for a surf trip that combines culture, nature and waves. And gastronomy!
The Basque Country is also an important surf power, European and world reference. Not only because of its historic surfing championships and for being the headquarters of multinational surfing companies for more than 30 years, but also because of the proven quality of its waves - with Mundaka at the forefront, considered one of the best left-handers on the planet -, and for the dozen Basque surfers who occupy the top positions in the international rankings.
Highlight the existence of the surf tourism product club Surfing Euskadi Basque Country which brings together schools, surfcamps, surf friendly accommodation -from campsites to 4-star hotels- and other specialized services (guides, agencies, nautical charter...) committed to the sustainability of the destination and the quality of customer service to offer a round surfing stay .
Origins
The history of the beginnings of surfing in the Basque Country goes back to 1912, the year in which the man from Vitoria Ignacio Arana He returned to his native Euskadi after having been the Spanish consul in Hawaii for several years. Arana returned home with two surfboards and a book by a Hawaiian photographer as luggage. During the Civil War his tablets were destroyed, but the book, 'The Surfriders Of Hawaii', was not damaged. This is the first publication that dates the beginning of the relationship between surfing and the Basque Country.
Other sources trace the origins of surfing in the Basque Country to the sixties, when the first french surfers began to explore the basque coast. Thanks to their proximity to France, they were the first to surf and get equipment, which made it easier for surfers to enter beaches like La Zurriola.
Championships
In 1968 it takes place in Zarautz the first surfing championship, organized by Óscar Elizalde. In 1969, also in Zarautz, Alfonso Biescas Vignau organized what is considered the first Spanish Championship (unofficial), which Javier Arteche won.
Euskadi has been and is the venue for major surfing events. He Billabong Pro de Mundaka was one of the most important and marked a milestone in the history of Basque surfing. Its first edition was held in 1999 and the last one in 2008 and helped further enlarge the Mundaka bar.
El Pukas Pro de Zarautz is also part of history, but also of the present. With its first edition in 1980, the test became part of the European circuit in 1988, becoming a mandatory stop for the best surfers of the moment: Damien Hardman, Tom Carroll, Sunny García, Martin Potter, Derek Ho, Mark Occhilupo... With some stops along the way, the championship is still being held today.
In terms of big waves, it is worth noting the Punta Galea Challenge, an international competition that takes place on the cliffs of La Galea and that every year offers an unbeatable show of big wave surfing in the municipality of Getxo (Bizkaia).
