Where: Mundaka, Euskadi (Basque Region), Spain

When: October to February

Why: Amazing, powerful tube riding

Stats: Left hand, sand bottomed, 50m to 300m in length, 3ft - 12ft!!!!

 

The Basque Region of Spain has some of the best waves in Europe and it is no secret that Mundaka is one of them. Just off the coast from the small town of Mundaka lies one of the craziest lefthander barreling waves in the world and is close to many of the accommodation spots we have for surfing in Spain.

 

Over the past 10 years Mundaka’s heavy wave has tested some of the world’s best surfers in its tubes.  Since 2000 Billabong have annually held the Billabong Pro Mundaka contest, crowning the likes of Bobby Martinez, Andy Irons, Kelly Slater and last year’s winner Adriano de Souza amongst others.  However, Mundaka doesn’t like to be tamed or tampered with it seems.

 

The gnarly beast of a wave has attracted surfers to the provincial spot since the 80s when Aussie surfer Craig Sage stumbled across the wave.  Whilst Sage stayed put and set up his own surf shop in the town, countless surfers have passed through looking for the barrel of their life.  For years Mundaka’s picture perfect left hand tubes represented the growing euro force of the up and coming European riders especially as it was often their training ground.

 

Yet in spite of Mundaka’s reputation of being one of the best left hand waves on the planet, the ASP has pulled the October competition from 2010’s world tour.  Back in the winter of 04’/05’ Mundaka had something of a hiccup.  The wave disappeared. To say this made a few somewhat concerned would be an understatement.  It seemed that a mixture of local dredging of a nearby shipping channel, and the lack of Atlantic winter storms from the Bay of Biscay, had combined to all but wipe out Mundaka’s wave.

 

All was not lost though.  After a year’s absence when the world tour cancelled its usual spot at Mundaka, the wave miraculously returned.  Game on... or so we all thought.  Fast forward 4 years later and 2009’s event was in motion. Adriano de Souza was crowned the event champion, and ceremoniously thrown into the towns quay, but the waves were deemed to be a disappointment.  They had been too small and not what was expected by the pros.

 

Then Peniche, Portugal was discovered- and swiftly the ASPs tour has switched its attention and its second European event of 2010 to Peniche, leaving Mundaka out in the cold.  However, whilst we may all think that it is harsh to leave Mundaka out of the world line up, the wave still gets the last laugh.  At any moment during the winter season it fires up... leaving surfers and spectators mesmerized by its curling walls of water stacked to the horizon.  

 

It seems that no one can tame this beast.

 

To visit Mundaka:

Fly to either Bilbao or Santander in Spain, or Biarritz in France, and then either drive or take the bus to the town centre.

 

Tune in at 48secs to get a glimpse of how amazing this wave really is...

 

There is something very special about the waters surrounding Ireland and the UK, it’s freezing for the majority of the year, it’s unpredictable and it’s often rugged.  For those who brave the cold water there is a real joy in surfing around these islands- the surprise and pleasure of having surf in your home country.  So in to get you in the mood for some surf holidays we’ve put together some of the most famous waves around Ireland and the UK.

 

The Peak, Bundoran



This barreling left-hander wave is the focal point to the home of Irish surfing.  The Point breaks over a slab of rock, creating a steep take-off with a harsh wipe-out if you get it wrong.  This wave attracts the only the experts and the foolish.

 

Easkey, Co. Sligo



Some places have all the luck.  The town of Easkey is the base for the Irish Surfing Association, and the reason they chose this town lies in not one, but two amazing reef breaks... one going left (next to the river mouth) and one going right (near the castle).

 

Aileens, Lahinch


 

At the foot of the cliffs of Moher lies the gargantuan wave known as Aileens.  Surpassing all expectations of European waves, Aileens has become a mecca for big wave riders from across the globe.  Reaching heights of over 50ft when storm swells hit, Aileens demands respect. 

 

Thurso, Scotland


 

Site for the most northern of official surf events, Thurso East is a beautiful right-hander.  This reefbreak consistently offers powerful walled rides, ancient scenery and of course cold waters of 8-10 degrees C. 

 

Rest Bay, Porthcawl, Wales



Lying west of Porthcawl is the sandy beachbreak of Rest Bay.  The break offers good lefts and rights that can last from anywhere between 50 - 100 metres in length.  Restbay is good for all abilities but is also the Autumn choice for surf competitions when the south western swells start to churn through.

 

Watergate Bay, Cornwall



Just a few miles north of Newquay lies the stunning rugged coastline of Watergate Bay.  Home to over 2 miles of shorebreak, Watergate is the site for the annual Surf Relief event where the UK Pro Surf Tour holds one of its competitions.  Throughout the year Watergate provides a good combination of beginners surf and bigger swell outback for the more progressive surfer.

 

Fistral, Cornwall



Newquay is known as the Cornish Blackpool, full of stag and hen parties- not for the faint hearted.  However, each year it comes alive for the surf festivals and competitions.  Fistral beach is the venue for thousands of surfers, beginners through to pros at the Boardmaster’s Competition.  Its shorebreak peaks and southern point deservedly attract attention for all the right reasons.

 

Croyde Bay, Devon



On the northcoast of Devon in the small village of Croyde lies one of the best beach breaks in the UK.  Croyde Bay provides consistent waves throughout the year, wedging it up when the bigger swell pulses through, providing both good lefts and rights to play in.

 

Widemouth, Cornwall


 

A great all rounder beach break.  Site for competitions and learn-to-surf-schools, the break provides lefts and rights all over the place.  Widemouth is also home to the reefbreak known as the Salt House that will satisfy the experts.

 

Tynemouth, Newcastle



Tynemouth might be a bit of a controversial choice, many a discussion has hovered over the quality of the water.  But times are changing.  Tynemouth has received more and more blue flag awards from the Environmental Agency, and of course the waves are great regardless, what with their jacking up beach break that works in most swells.

 

2010 marks the return of the on going rivalry between Hawaiian Andy Irons and Floridian Kelly Slater.  After a year’s hiatus from the ASP’s world championship tour, Andy Irons is back and raring to go.  Simultaneously King Kelly has come from a year where he only won 1 event, finished 6th over all- a feat that anyone else would be more than happy with, however when it comes to Kelly the bar is raised.

 

So where did this rivalry come from?  Whilst Irons was happily earning his stripes on the junior circuit in his teens, Slater was dominating the world tour.  Slater was winning world title after world title, but by 1999 he needed a break and went into semi retirement.  Here was Irons’ chance to finally push through the rankings and claim a world title or two.

 

Slater’s 4 year sabbatical opened the ASP’s doors to other surfers hungry for the world title win, and Irons was one of them.  In 2002 Irons won his first world championship title- but Kelly wasn’t on the scene.  It was in 2003 and 2004 that things would get dramatic.  Slater came out of retirement in 03’ and was extremely hungry for the win, but then so was Andy- fresh from his 02’ victory.  So unsurprisingly it was in 2003 the infamous rivalry thoroughly kicked in.

 

Andy Irons heralds from the home of surfing: Kauai, Hawaii.  At the age of 31, he is a killer competitor, has won 19 ASP elite events, holds 3 world titles, and is sponsored by Billabong, Von Zipper, Monster Energy Drinks, Kustom Footwear, Nixon watches and Dakine accessories.  

 

Kelly Slater in comparison is something of a living legend.  Coming from the small wave town of Cocoa Beach, Florida, this 38 year old defies his upbringing and rips apart some of the biggest waves in the world.  He has won an unprecedented 41 ASP elite events, holds 9 world titles and is sponsored by Quiksilver (since 1990), FCS Fins, Channel Island Surfboards, and Komunity Project Accessories.


 

Back in 03’ and 04’ it was Irons who dominated the world surfing scene.  He managed to hold Slater off during that time, and won another 2 world titles for his collection.  Slater just couldn’t seem to break passed this big wave rider from Hawaii. However, in 05’ the tables finally turned.  In an epic final showdown at the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay 2005, Slater took the event title by defeating Irons 16.83 to 16.56 with only 35 seconds to spare.  This event proved to be the turning point for Slater as he went on to win the world title that year and the following year.

 

So now what?  Both Slater and Irons have taken sabbaticals, and now both are on tour together again.  Are they as hungry as they were in the past for the win?  Who knows, but it will certainly good to watch them as they come up against each other this year.

 

Take a look at the trailer for the unique documentary spawned by the Irons-Slater rivalry: A Fly in the Champagne.  Tune in at 1min10 to hear Kelly and Andy share their opinions on each other in their own words.

 

 

A Fly In the Champagne - Andy Irons vs Kelly Slater

 

Since its inception in the 1970s Quiksilver has been extremely forward thinking.  What does this mean?  Well think “outside the box”.  Quiksilver has made a point over the years of diversifying, expanding, whilst prioritizing core values. The company has obtained a large number of smaller organisations in the boardsport and water sport industries, such as DC Shoes, Hawk, Raisins, Radio Fiji and Leilani.  Quiksilver has made sure that it has always been an attractive business model from the beginning.  It was one of the first surf companies to go public and to appear on the New York Stock Exchange in 1986.



Yet what has it meant for surfers and boardriders?  Quiksilver now sponsors around 500 professional and amateur boardriders, including the iconic surfer and 9x world champion Kelly Slater, the infamous skater Tony Hawk, and even singer/songwriter/surfer Jack Johnson back in 1987.  The company has had a huge part in the development of numerous surfers, skaters, snowboarders and athletes around the globe.  Even the creation of the women’s brand Roxy has helped move surfing forward.  

 

Roxy was created in 1990 when the surfer industry and its fashion was very male dominated.  The establishment of the all girl surf fashion company helped to push the industry to new places, and of course- encourage girls everywhere to dream of, if not actually take up, surfing and snowboarding.



Today Quiksilver has over 600 stores worldwide, sells surfwear, boardsports equipment, accessories and apparel. Furthermore, the company sponsors the very special Eddie Aikau Big Wave International; and hosts 2 of the ASPs world contest, the Gold Coast Pro and the Pro France.  The company continues to expand with the use of clever marketing campaigns, which seek to ask the public for “permission” for it to grow bigger.  Whilst on the more understated side, the company has set up the charitable organisation The Quiksilver Foundation.  The organisation works with boardriding communities to help improve health, education, the environment and youth projects in that area.

Quiksilver is one of the biggest sponsors on the ASP tour. Its biggest European event is the Quiksilver pro which takes place in September in Hossegor, one of the destinations we offer for Surfiing Holidays in France



Quiksilver has managed to navigate with creativity some pretty competitive waters over the last few decades.  It will be good to see what the company fashions over the coming years and where it can help the board sports progress to next. In the meantime, take a look at this classic 80s advert... genius.

 

When we are faced with the prospect of a cold water surf there is something that makes all the difference- our wetsuit. Without the trusty warmth giving wetsuit we would last only minutes in the frigid waters of Europe before hypothermia sets in, yet we now take this miracle worker for grated.  So let’s pay our dues and turn our attention to the development of this wondrous invention.

 

Back in the 1950s over in California some very clever people pondered what the synthetic rubber “neoprene” could do for the human race.  A physicist from the University of Berkley called Hugh Bradner came up with the great idea that neoprene could be used for divers suits, as the neoprene would significantly slow down the transfer of heat from the body into the surrounding water.  However, although Bradner is credited with the beginning thoughts of using neoprene, it was the O’Neill brothers- Jack and Robert, who managed to take the science and make it a reality.



In 1952 the O’Neill company was birthed in California, and along with it the first neoprene wetsuit.  The story goes that brothers Jack and Robert used neoprene found in an airplane to create their first proto-type.  Following shortly was Body Glove in 1953, who also started to use the synthetic rubber to create what would be called a wetsuit.  These first wetsuits were a far cry from what we know today.  They were fragile, prone to tearing as they were made of only a single layer, and would stick to the skin- so in order put on the wetsuit, a good dousing of talcum powder was needed to help the suit glide on.

 

Advances in technology helped the wetsuit on its way.  The normal stitching techniques that enabled water to infiltrate the suit, were replaced by blindstitching.  This new method stitched only the surface of the neoprene, allowing neoprene sections to be joined without the usual flush of water making it through the stitching holes.  This technique was combined with taped seams to really improve the warmth of the wetsuit.


 

Further developments have been in the design of the wetsuit.  The single layer was quickly doubled to improve not only warmth but to improve amount of stretch the wetsuit could take when being put on.  New materials such as lycra, wool and Spandex have been added to the mix to help improve warmth and flexibility.



Wetsuits today use some incredibly clever technology and techniques to provide us with warmth in the water.  Modern suits often have reinforced knee and elbow pads, helping to prevent wear and tear.  For greater seals around the neck, wrists and ankles, a single layer edging of neoprene is used that sticks to the skin; whilst computer generated pattern builds allow for designs that fit extremely close to the skin.  This enables for fits that prevent the flush through of cold water, meaning we can stay out there for longer.  The technology is ever progressing, some of the most recent wetsuits to hit the market even have built in heated panels.
 

So now there really isn’t any excuse not to go on a surf holiday in Ireland any time of the year...