BEYOND THE WAVES
“Everyone who surfs Mundaka for the first time agrees that, beyond the waves, it is an experience in and of itself.”
Waiting for the waves at the peak sur- rounded by churches hundreds of years old and in an environment such as the Urdaibai biosphere reserve is undoubtedly an experience difficult to forget.
If you are lucky enough to catch at least one wave on a classic day, then surely that day will be marked with fire in your mind. Mundaka is undoubtedly one of the best waves in the world. Heavy as the most powerful shorebreak, but with the mechanical perfection of a point break.
Not everything will be good. Betting on Mundaka often means failing, because when beforehand the fore- cast looks epic, then usually one of the multiple factors fails. In addition, although the wave is in a relatively sparsely populated environment, many people are keen to do hundreds of kilometers in order to catch a barrel in Mundaka.
Whatever happens, when you get out of the water what never disappoints is the pintxos in the bars of the tiny har- bor, where you will calm your hunger after paddling against the incessant current for several hours. Definitely, the after-surf in Mundaka is also an experience in itself.
Javi Munoz, aka Pacotwo
Shot over consecutive mornings during the long, recent run of North Coast autumn swell, In the Family of Things is Dave Rastovich in his element, doing his thing.