SURF IN SOPELANA

SOPELANA AND LA SALVAJE, TWO SURF SPOTS A METRO RIDE AWAY FROM BILBAO

It has never been a secret. The coast of Biscay, shaped by the Cantabrian Sea’s waves, is one of the luckiest places when it comes to surfing. Today we travel to the beaches of Sopelana and La Salvaje, very close to Bilbao, two of the most important destinations in the Basque surfing scene . Enjoy the read and happy waves.

WEBCAM SOPELANA

Here’s a view from the webcam of Sopelana beach:

The wave of Mundaka is the great white whale of surfing in the Basque Country. The iconic left has attracted surfing vagabonds, world title hunters, and a loyal troop of Basque riders for decades. And even though Mundaka left the competitive circuit in 2010, its wave remains one of the great epicenters of surfing in Europe and one of the most challenging spots in the world.

But the Basque Country boasts other top-notch breaks. Wild and urban beaches, bays, river mouths, slabs, and rock reefs… Yes, the Basque coastline has been blessed by the surfing gods with a magical and rich variety of spots. Close to Bilbao, we find two of them: Barinatxe beach, better known as La Salvaje, and Sopelana beach.

SURFING AT SOPELANA BEACH, CRADLE OF GREAT SURFERS

Javier Amezaga says in Surfing the Basque Country, an evocative and well-documented book, that the history of surfing in Sopelana began in the seventies, and also that for a time its waves were a very good school for great surfers:

«Contrary to what happened in other places, like Bakio or Zarautz, where the first surfers were almost all vacationers, in this area they were mostly residents of Getxo. The parking lot at Sopelana beach was the headquarters, it was the most crowded beach and where the best waves were.»

And he adds, not without some nostalgia:

«The Superport works modified the seabed, and the waves at Sopelana at high tide have never had the quality they had in the 20th century. When the winter swells arrived, the alternative was the then contaminated waters of Ereaga or the left of the Plentzia bar. Until the construction of the new dike at the river mouth, the Plentzia left was a kind of miniature Mundaka.»

Today, Sopelana retains some of that magic. Host to international events and cradle of world-class surfers like Eneko and Kepa Acero , Sopela has multiple spots that can delight both the seasoned in a thousand waves and those who are still honing their surfing skills. However, if the sea is big and you are not an expert, it is better to watch the waves from the shore. There are often very rough rip currents and the waves have tremendous force.

SURFING AT LA SALVAJE/ BARINATXE BEACH

To access this beach, you have to descend down endless stairs. But once below, the landscape of dunes and cliffs, with its mix of rock, sand, and vegetation, turn this wide and open beach into one of the most beautiful on the Basque coast.

La Salvaje has several quality spots. La Batidora , on the west side of the beach. La Corriente , in the central area: a very technical and ever-changing left depending on the tide. And our favorite, La Triangular. Known by local surfers as the triangu, it is a long-wave that can hold up to 3 meters.

HOW TO GET TO LA SALVAJE

You can get there by metro from Bilbao, but the best way is by road; a journey of less than twenty kilometers.

HOW TO GET TO SOPELANA

The best option is by road. Just 20 minutes from Bilbao.

1. If you are traveling from another city, you can reach Sopelana by car, bus, or train.
2. If you travel by car, you can reach Sopelana from Bilbao by following the Cantabrian Highway (A-8). Once on the A-8, head towards Santander and take the exit towards Plentzia. From Plentzia, follow the signs to Sopelana.
3. If you prefer to travel by bus, you can take one from the Bilbao bus station to Sopelana. There are several bus lines that connect Bilbao with Sopelana, so you can check the schedule and prices on the bus company’s website.
4. If you prefer to travel by train, you can take one from the Bilbao train station to the Plentzia station. From Plentzia, you can take a bus or a taxi to Sopelana.

WHEN TO GO: SURF FORECAST SOPELANA

Undoubtedly, from October to April. Fewer tourists, more waves. However, we recommend you make sure the forecast is good. We recommend you check the wave forecast for surf forecast Sopelana and the webcam of sopelana surf and even check windguru. A simple search for windguru Sopelana beach , can save you from a long walk. The sopelana webcam provides a good quality image where you can see the state of the sea without having to go to the beach.

WHAT SURFBOARD do we recommend for surfing in SOPE

Here is our recommendation of surfboards to enjoy the waves at Sopela beach.

✓ FIREWIRE DOMINATOR 2

Firewire Dominator 2 is one of the best-selling surfboards of all time from Firewire Surfboards. It is an easy-to-surf and highly versatile surfboard that adapts to a wide range of waves. Suitable for all types of surfers. If you can only choose one surfboard for your trip to Bakio, we recommend the Dominator 2 from Firewire.

What we like the most: its versatility

Many of us need some help if we want to surf with a shortboard in medium waves. The generous proportions of the Dominator allow you to surf a wide range of waves and even generate speed in the flatter sections of the wave.

Ease of use

The Dominator 2 is a wave-catching machine. Thanks to its width and comfortable shape, it is a very easy board to use in the conditions that most of us regularly encounter in the water.

Great paddling power

This board is extremely versatile and one of the most complete boards in the Firewire Surfboards range. It comes with a 5-fin setup, so you also have many fin options. The Dominator 2 has a very full and forgiving outline with a lot of volume to give you an extra paddling boost.

✓ FIREWIRE SEASIDE BEYOND

The Firewire Seaside Beyond is Rob Machado’s new mid-length board in collaboration with Firewire. Machado wanted to create a board halfway between a longboard and a shortboard. This is how the Seaside Beyond was born. A mix between the Firewire Go Fish and the Seaside (another one of its top sellers).

✓ Pyzalien 2

The Pyzalien 2 is the perfect choice for those who only want to have one board in their quiver. The Pyzalien 2 is a new version of one of the best-selling surfboards from Pyzel Surfboards: the Pyzalien 1!

PYZEL CATALOG

✓ Happy Hour Ocean Earth

For beginner surfers looking for a board to continue progressing autonomously after leaving a surf school, we recommend the epoxy softboard Happy Hour from the Ocean Earth Softboards brand. This foam board is designed for fun and will guarantee you a fun session at Bakio beach.

BUY HAPPY HOUR

 

Includes Single carbon fin valued at over 80 euros. An easy board, with great paddling power and very stable. Ideal for beginner surfers and experienced surfers looking for a fun board for summer waves. It has a deck with a soft, durable texture that does not require wax. Another comfort feature for a surfboard that has captivated us from the first day we tried it.

You can buy the Happy Hour   in 4 sizes: 7’6, 7’0, 6’6 and 6’0. If you have doubts about which size is most appropriate for your level and the type of conditions and waves you will surf, write to us. We will be happy to help you.

WICH WETSUIT SHOULD I USE FOR SURFING IN SOPELANA

The choice of wetsuit will depend on the time of year you travel to Euskadi.  

✓ Oneill Hyperfreak 4/3mm+ hood

From January to February, the water temperature is around 12 degrees. At this time, we recommend using a wetsuit with 5 mm thickness. That is, a 5/4/3 or a 4/3 with hood, booties, and gloves. Our recommendation: Oneill Hyperfreak 4/3mm+ with hood.

We also recommend good neoprene booties for surfing in winter in the Basque Country. Our recommendation: Solite 3mm booties . With these booties, we assure you that you will not feel cold.

✓ Hurley Advantage 4/3mm

If you travel to Bakio from March to April, the water temperature is somewhat more pleasant and rises to 13 degrees. Still, if you don’t want to feel cold, we continue with the same wetsuit recommendations. 4/3 or even 5/4 depending on the outside temperature. Our recommendation: Hurley Advantage 4.3mm

✓ Oneill Hyperfreak 3/2mm

From May to June, the water rises to 15 degrees. This allows us to switch from 4/3 mm to 3/2. The best 3/2 wetsuit we have had the opportunity to test is the Oneill Hyperfreak 3/2 mm with chest zip .

A wetsuit that has captivated us after testing it and whose complete review you can read in our Wetsuits section or by clicking here .

✓ Hurley Advantage 3/2mm

If you value comfort and elasticity over warmth, we recommend the new Hurley Advantage. The new Hurley wetsuit is super light, comfortable and elastic. At a price of 215 euros, we are sure it will soon become the best-selling wetsuit model from the American brand.

This Hurley wetsuit is available in 2 colors. For spring, a 3.2mm advantage is more than enough.

Buy Hurley Advantage 3/2mm

✓ Oneill Reactor 2mm

From July to August, it is the warmest time of the year with the water. Around 19 – 21 degrees. Here we recommend a 2/2 mm like the Oneill Hammer or a Oneill Reactor or even surf in a swimsuit on sunny days.

Between September and October, you can continue with the 2/2 or if you feel colder switch to a 3/2 mm suit. Our recommendation for elasticity, comfort, and price is Hurley Advantage Plus 3/2mm.

And finally, November and December it’s time to take out the 4.3 mm wetsuit again.

OTHER BEACHES AND SURF SPOTS NEAR BILBAO

LA ARENA

Located between Muskiz and Ciervana, it is the most western of the Basque Country beaches and also one of the longest (almost a kilometer). La Arena is characterized by having several spots, suitable for both experienced surfers and those who are starting out. Highly crowded in summer, its star wave is the left of Pobeña, a long and high-quality wave that breaks better at low tide and can offer truly epic sessions.

EREAGA

Located between the Old Port of Algorta and the breakwater of Arriluze, it is a long sandy beach eight hundred meters long. Urban beach par excellence, Ereaga has different spots. The best and most well-known, “Los bloques”, with long and powerful lefts breaking at the breakwater at the southern end of the beach. It requires high tide and a good swell, but when the ideal conditions are met, it can hold waves up to three meters. It is worth noting that, being very protected from the northwest wind, Ereaga is a good alternative when the sea is choppy.

PUNTA GALEA

When one thinks of big waves, one cannot help but think of Jaws and of Pipeline, in Teahupoo, in Mavericks , Cyclops… In other words, destinations like Hawaii, Tahiti, California, Australia… But the truth is, if you want to see, or even surf, impressive waves, you have to go through Punta Galea, in Getxo, a key point for big wave surfing in the Basque Country that is, it is a cherished sanctuary for big wave surf lovers; a coveted gem for big wave surfers, who have had truly epic sessions here, delighting spectators who watch the exciting rides from the cliff.

With beautiful cliffs as a backdrop, this is a chilling wave, suitable only for expert surfers. Types with ice in their veins who live to ride monsters of saltwater. Types like Adur Letamendia, who with his victory in the Punta Galea Challenge 2011/12 secured a spot on the Big Wave Tour, or Natxo González , the only surfer in the world to score a perfect 10 at Nazaré.

MEÑAKOZ

It is the most complete big wave in the Basque Country, a powerful right that can reach sessions of up to 7 meters. Yes, Meñakoz , a wild beach located between Sopelana and Barrika, is an authentic sanctuary for big wave surfers; a coveted gem for big wave surfers, who have had truly epic sessions here, delighting spectators who watch the exciting rides from the cliff.

Needless to say, this is a very serious, selective, and demanding spot, only accessible to the bravest of the brave. If you want something lighter, less than a kilometer away are Sopelana, with waves for all levels, and La Salvaje, with La Triangular.

BAKIO

Guarded in the distance by the islet of San Juan de Gastelugatxe, Bakio beach is the cradle of highly talented surfers, like Txaber Trojaola or Gontzal Mendiola. The consistency of waves throughout the year is its main highlight, a value that makes this sandy area one of the busiest places during the summer season and an ideal option for learning to surf.

Bakio was the second choice for the WCT Billabong Pro Mundaka for eight years and hosted its final stages in more than one edition. Kelly Slater even compared the waves of this beach to those of his native Cocoa Beach. But here, perhaps due to ignorance, the renowned American surfer overstepped. Those of us who know the tricks of its bottoms know that when the sands are in place and the swell arrives as it should, the waves of Bakio acquire the necessary quality for a world-class event. But, of course, you have to be there to see it… And enjoy it.

PICO GOLF

It is the left wave of Cape Matxitxako. Until very recently, it was not surfed, either because it breaks very few times, or because of the difficulty of access. Even now it is surfed very exceptionally. Only for experts.

MUNDAKA

Undoubtedly, our most special wave. There is no left as perfect or as long. It is the best wave in Europe and one of the top ten in the world. When the bar breaks for real, it can reach heights of 5 meters and a length of 400 meters. A dream that has convinced many professional surfers that in surfing there is something more than riding rights.

But be careful, the left of Mundaka is a demanding and difficult wave to surf that is rising and tubing along a route that seems endless; a wave that must be read very well and in which you also have to learn to fall, especially if you are inside the tube. A miscalculation in Mundaka or a careless mistake can turn into the worst wipeout of your life.

AND AFTER SURFING IN SOPELANA… WHAT TO SEE IN BILBAO AND NEAR BILBAO

And after surfing, what next? Here we propose several visits, starting of course, with Bilbao.

BILBAO

The city of railways and factories that turned the estuary into a sewer, the sad and dark city that Blas de Otero loved and cursed, no longer exists. The annoying drizzle that accentuated its British appearance almost doesn’t even exist anymore. Bilbao is now a completely different city, with quiet and pleasant walks along the estuary; a perfect example of how aesthetic modernity can be integrated into centuries of history.

What to see in Bilbao

The first advice: to capture all the charm of Bilbao you have to visit it both during the day and at night. Both views are complementary and essential.

The Seven Streets

The most traditional area of Bilbao: shops, restaurants, pintxos bars… It is the part of the city that has changed the least, the origin of everything, the Old Quarter Artecalle, Somera, Tendería, Belosticalle, Carnicería Vieja, Barrencalle, Barrencalle Barrena and La Ronda. Seven narrow streets, grouped around the Cathedral of Santiago – Gothic cloister, facade and tower from 1885. Plaza Nueva can be found here, full of terraces and pintxos bars. And a stone’s throw away, very close to the bridge and the church of San Antón, is the Ribera Market, one of the European markets with the greatest variety of products.

The Arenal

The estuaries and rivers separate, but also unite and are a perfect place to build monumental bridges that become part of the cities. In the case of the Nervion River estuary there are ten bridges that cross it in Bilbao. The Arenal bridge is not the most spectacular or the oldest, but it is the most evocative because of the buildings that surround it: the cream puff of the Arriaga Theater, in eclectic style, and the evocative Santander Station, in modernist style.

The Ensanche

Historian José Carlos Mainer says that there will be no other generation that will donate the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts or conceive the grandeur of the Ensanche. The Gran Vía is the axis of the Ensanche, the most beautiful avenue in the city: four kilometers of nineteenth-century buildings that compete with each other to showcase the wealth of the industrial and financial bourgeoisie of the first third of the twentieth century. It starts at Circular Plaza and ends at the monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the tallest sculpture in the city if we exclude the Mercury atop the Banco Bilbao building. BBVA building with the statue of Mercury on Gran Via.

Paseo de Abandoibarra

The great landmarks of urban renewal in the province capital are located: the Isozaki towers, the Calatrava bridge, the Guggenheim Museum, the Iberdrola tower and the colossal Euskalduna Palace, whose rear facade resembles the frames of a ship under construction.

Museo de Bellas Artes

Euskalduna Palace Museum of Fine Arts Very close to the Guggenheim, in Doña Casilda Park. Created with surprising private donations, it is our favorite museum. With an extraordinary collection of Spanish, Italian, and Flemish painting, it houses works by El Greco, Murillo, Goya, Gauguin, Gris, Bacon… and sculptures by artists such as Oteiza and Chillida. And for those who want to glimpse the Bilbao created by this art gallery, the paintings by Aurelio Arteta, with its shipyards, factories, mines and tired-looking workers, and also with its fishermen and representatives of the upper bourgeoisie who portrayed themselves as a family, like the Madariaga-Astigarraga who pose in a garden.

And to finish, Archanda

For many reasons, Bilbao is a different city, which also asks to be enjoyed in a different way. It is peculiar, and it is worth appreciating how it is wedged between mountains and how it can be seen from them with pleasure. From Archanda, the entire city and the Nervion estuary can be seen , the matrix, the fundamental element of Bilbao, its great symbol. A spatial and also a temporal symbol, historical, as its course summarizes better than any history book the present and the past of the city.

THE HANGING BRIDGE OR VIZCAYA BRIDGE

García de Cortázar says: “Today, almost as yesterday, the Nervión estuary continues to be a border». On the left, the old working-class neighborhoods, the municipalities that overlook the old docks where minerals were loaded and unloaded and where the Altos Hornos de Vizcaya were located: Sestao, Barakaldo, and beyond, Portugalete, Santurce, and Zierbana, places with a seafaring tradition where you can eat good grilled fish and seafood. On the right, the rich, sunny, and well-off bank: Las Arenas, Neguri… From the first, the majestic view of the second is contemplated. But undoubtedly, there is no better place to see and feel the differences between these two halves than the upper walkway of the Vizcaya Bridge or Hanging Bridge, from where there is also a splendid panoramic view of the mouth of El Abra.

Of course, here, perhaps the panoramas are the least important. Because what is truly wonderful is the bridge itself, Declared a World Heritage Site in 2006 . It is a metal structure sixty-one meters high and one hundred sixty meters long that spans the estuary, linking Portugalete with Las Arenas. It was built at the end of the 19th century to connect the two banks of the estuary without obstructing the passage of ships in their river navigation and was the world’s first transporter bridge, an engineering marvel. Its spectacular design, which served as a model for dozens of similar bridges, still amazes anyone who sees it for the first time today. And furthermore, time seems not to affect it, as while each and every one of its metal siblings has been replaced, it remains active, impassive, and vigorous, almost as it was when the first passengers crossed it.

GETXO, MEMORIES OF THE DOLCE VITA

It is worth buying a round-trip ticket and crossing aboard the ferry to Portugalete, a town founded back in the 14th century, with a pleasant walk along the estuary overlooking Las Arenas and Neguri, and an old town with cobbled streets leading to the beautiful church of Santa María (15th and 16th centuries) or to the solid Salazar Tower from the 14th century.

And it is also worth walking along the evocative walkway between the Vizcaya Bridge and Arrigunaga Beach, on the right bank: a walkway beside the estuary and the sea with several points of interest.

First, Las Arenas and Neguri, with their small beaches of Las Arenas and Ereaga. Certain places – returning to García de Cortázar – crystallize time in space, and that is precisely what happens in these two neighborhoods of Getxo, where the industrial and financial bourgeoisie of early 20th-century Bilbao decided to build imposing palaces in the middle of extensive landscaped estates, seeking to reproduce the English fashions that prevailed in the high society of the time.

Many of those mansions are still standing. Others have disappeared. Of the former, the Lezama-Leguizamón Palace stands out, still proud on the small promontory of Arriluce. Of the latter, perhaps the most representative is that of the magnate Horacio Echevarrieta, the Citizen Kane of interwar Bilbao. Echevarrieta was perhaps the richest industrialist in the Spain of Alfonso XIII, but the splendor of his business was followed by ashes and from his particular Xanadu only remains today, in front of Ereaga beach, the abandoned ruins of what once were the majestic Punta Begoña Galleries, designed by the architect Ricardo Bastida in 1918: an emblematic building from where the Basque magnate visually dominated the iron mines of his property and the sea from which the ships of his shipping line departed.

The walk continues up through the Old Port of Algorta, but before that, we advise you to make a technical stop at one of these two terraces: the one at the Embarcadero hotel, with views of Las Arenas beach and the mansions of Neguri, or the one at the Igeretxe hotel, at the foot of Ereaga beach. Both are perfect for having an appetizer.

The Old Port of Algorta is located at the end of Ereaga beach. Fishermen’s houses, taverns to taste some pintxos. Its endearing staircases are a natural seat to have a beer in the sun or, why not, a glass of txakoli.

Very close to the Old Port we find Arrigunaga beach, and there one of the most spectacular routes that this part of the Biscay coastline reserves for the traveler: the cliffs walk that leads to La Galea. Along the way, the cemetery of Our Lady of Carmen, resting place of some of the greatest potentates of Vizcaya, who sleep the eternal dream in their majestic mausoleums, and the Galea Fort or Prince’s Castle, a military construction erected in the 18th century to complete the defense of El Abra. But here, the star is the landscape; the sea, the cliffs… simply memorable.

To end the day, we cannot think of a better place than El Molino, also from the 18th century, and the terrace of its traditional food restaurant. Its famous potato omelette and the sunset over El Abra are something else.

FROM SOPELANA TO BAKIO

In addition to beaches and waves, Sopelana has wonderful viewpoints where you can enjoy the sunset with a beer and spectacular walks on cliffs that reach Getxo on one end, and Barrika , on the other. Close to the latter are Plentzia and Gorliz. But before hitting the road again, it is worth approaching the three beaches of Barrika: Barrika, Meñakoz, and Muriola. Three sandy beaches closely watched over by vertigo-inducing cliffs.

Plentzia

It is one of the traditional beaches for the people of Bilbao to spend the summer, a village with a port that still retains its old seafaring charm . Walk through its historic center leisurely and then you can cross to the beach of Hay que pasear por su casco histórico sin prisas y después uno puede cruzar a la playa de Gorliz , a beach that joins Plentzia when the tide is low, with petrified dunes and cliffs where the green fields that run along the coast peek out.

From the same beach of Gorliz, there is a path that leads up the hill to the Lighthouse of this town. At its feet, the bunkers of Cabo Villano, a military defense built by Republican prisoners at the end of the Civil War, when the drift of the Second World War made the Franco regime fear an invasion from the Allies. These are the years that Gil de Biedma would later recall in his Elegy and memory of the French song:

Until the air of then seemed

to be suspended, as if asking,

y en las viejas taberna de barrio

the defeated spoke in a low voice…

We, the youngest, as always we expected

something definitive and general.

A little beyond Plentzia, just four kilometers away, is Armintza, with its delightful fishing district. And a little further away, about sixteen kilometers, along a road that goes up and down, as full of curves as it is beautiful, Bakio , surrounded by mountains and cliffs, cradle of txakoli and hot spot of Basque surfing.

SAN JUAN DE GAZTELUGATXE

Very close to Bakio is the beautiful hermitage of San Pelayo, built in the 12th century and in Romanesque style. And just a kilometer further on we find one of the most iconic spots on the Basque coast: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, the most beautiful haven of peace amidst the fury of the waves. Its rocky islet, its 241 steps and its small hermitage watching over the Cantabrian Sea make up an unforgettable postcard. Of course, for many, this prodigious spot in Vizcaya will always be the mythical Dragonstone from Game of Thrones, the place where Jon Snow came face to face with Daenerys Targaryen.

WHAT TO EAT IN BILBAO

Gastronomy is a clear hallmark of the Basque Country. Not in vain, it is one of Spain’s culinary paradises. The offer is endless and the quality of its restaurants so high, that mentioning them all seems impossible. Being a coastal area, the star of our proposal is fish. Dishes that sometimes enhance the flavor of the raw material, and other times play with acids and spiciness (vinegar and chili). Hake as the absolute queen: grilled, in green sauce, breaded, with cheeks and clams. Of course, hake is just the beginning of a list of excellent fish: sea bream, bonito, anchovy, chirrión, elver, cod… We cannot forget the seafood, with a special predilection for spider crabs and goose barnacles. And of course, red meats, with beef steak at the forefront.

And of course, we are in the Basque Country, the land of pintxos. From bar to bar or on a single counter… the capital of Bizkaia is a perfect place to experience the greatness of miniature cuisine. The most appetizing area? Diputación, Poza, García Ribero and the Old Town.