The Mundaka wave, at Mundaka in the

Basque Country Basque Country may refer to: * Basque Country (autonomous community), as used in Spain ( es, País Vasco, link=no), also called , an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain (shown in pink on the map) * French Basque Country o ...

, northern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, is a

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

location considered one of the best lefts of the world.

Surfing

Huge swells roll in from the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

and slam into the rocky coastline of the Basque Country. The estuary at Mundaka has created a perfect sandbar which forms hollow waves that can be watched from the town's harbor wall. Mundaka was formerly one of the sites of the World Championship Tour of Surfing. Some great surfers have marked their legacy on Mundaka such as Andy Irons,

Taj Burrow Taj Burrow (born 2 June 1978) is an Australian retired professional surfer. Taj retired from the WSL World Tour in June 2016 where he left a legacy of power and impressive surfing. Early life Burrow was born in Yallingup, Western Australia, A ...

Kelly Slater Robert Kelly Slater (born February 11, 1972) is an American professional surfer, best known for being crowned World Surf League champion a record 11 times. Slater is widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time. Slater is also ...

, Mark Occilupo and

Joel Parkinson Joel Parkinson (born 10 April 1981) is an Australian surfer who used to compete on the WSL (World Surf League). After twelve years competing at the elite level on the ASP World Championship Tour, a stretch that saw him win eleven elite ASP Wor ...

. The wave of Mundaka is “perfect” for surfing one of every three days of the year. During the months of

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

, the possibility of surfing increases until surpassing 50%. And it is the month of January, with a 62% of surfable days, when the bar of Mundaka displays the best scene for the lovers of this sport.

History of Billabong Pro Mundaka

Billabong Pro Mundaka is one of the most important tests of the ASP World Tour. It is celebrated in Mundaka from the beginning of October until mid October. In eight years the event has had to be suspended twice. First, in 2001, due to the 9/11 attacks in New York. Second, in 2005 by the hand of the man.

Disappearance of the wave

The wave of Mundaka is seriously damaged. Its situation is critical although non irreversible. This is what the surfers want to think due to the fact that they have seen how their appraised jewel has not done act of appearance in the last months. Everything began in 2003, when the

Murueta Murueta is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , ...

shipyard ??"coat 57 tons of laughs of mundaca"??? with the aim of making it more passable for different sized ships. Consequently, the sea of Mundaka has suffered the disappearance of one of its most valued waves. Also, the action has caused the disappearance of Mundaka, from the professional circuit of surfing.

Cancellation of the test in 2005

The extraction in 2003 of almost 300,000 cubic meters of sand laughs of Urdaibai, caused that the most famous left of Europe would lose its position in match WCT of the ASP. The characteristics of the wave changed as if a disease had seized her. The tube of 400 meters that formed diminished until 40 meters long, starting to disappear. A diving lead the consequence that, lamentably, all saw come: that the ASP suspended the test of 2005. Mundaca, which had received an average of 10,000 visitors with the event, lost its main reclamation and sectors of the region as the guest houses entered into an enormous crisis. Studies of the department of Environment and the University of the Basque Country (UPV) agreed upon indicating that the wave was debilitated by the drainage realised by the

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

. The sand was deposited on the beach of Laida and finished changing to the structure of the marine bottom and the flow of the currents. The investigations also kept awake that the own Nature was in charge to forge a similar morphology to which existed before 2003. The force of the sea returned to give to hope to Mundaca and the Billabong Pro. After months of exhaustive study, as much the ASP as the sponsor of the event, Billabong, gave the green light around Mundaca to the calendar of the maximum worldwide surfer competition.

Last champions

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !Year !Champion !Nacionality , - , 2009 , Adriano de Souza ,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, - , 2008 ,

C. J. Hobgood Clifton James "C.J." Hobgood (born July 6, 1979) is an Association of Surfing Professionals(ASP) World Championship surfer. He has a twin brother, Damien. They both compete in top-tier professional surfing events around the world. C.J. Hobgood e ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, - , 2007 ,

Bobby Martinez Bobby Martinez (born May 26, 1982) is a professional surfer from Santa Barbara, California. Career Martinez began surfing at age 6. When he was old enough, he joined the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) where he went on to win a ...

, - , 2006 ,

, - , 2005 , Cancelled , - , - , 2004 , Luke Egan ,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, - , 2003 ,

, - , 2002 , Andy Irons ,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, - , 2001 , Cancelled , - , - , 2000 ,

Shane Dorian Patrick Shane Dorian (born July 19, 1972), or "Shane", is an American surfer from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He spent 11 years touring on the World Championship Tour as a professional surfer. Dorian quit competition surfing in 2003 to focus on big w ...

, - , 1999 ,

Mark Occhilupo Marco Jay Luciano "Mark" Occhilupo (born 16 June 1966) is an Australian surfer and winner of the 1999 ASP World title. Occhilupo, also known as "Occy", began his professional career in the World Championship Tour (WCT) at the age of 17. In S ...

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Other consequences aside from the environmental ones

After the initial commotion, Mundaka begins little by little to assimilate the enormous loss that represents for the municipality the exclusion of the Billabong Pro of worldwide circuit WCT of surfing. It has been a cold water jug for Mundaka and all the Basque seashore. For the proprietors of guest house businesses and establishments generally, the appointment represents an important source of income “equivalent to a whole summer”.

External links

BillabongPro.comMundaka.comNavieraMurueta.com
Biscay Surfing locations Surfing_in_Spain