From the very first wave - a ten-second, hundred-metre drainpipe - onwards, this vid has too many highlights to pick and choose. Great package too, mix of angles, sharp camera work, good tunes, and it may just be the best Mundaka I've ever seen.
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Sid gets inducted into Surfing Australia's Hall Of Fame.
A new column where a surfboard sage, otherwise known as Murray Bourton, answers everything you want to know.
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Rare showing of 2018 film, plus live music and conversation.
The turnout exceeded all expectations for Merc's paddle out.
Comments
You'll be watching this one twice.
Great surfing.
Great vid and I liked that they showed em stroking in too.
They filmed the stroking? Now you've really got Gary's attention
Love the final switch :))
Double switch barrel. That and the opening salvo were the highlights.
Such a good wave. Those guys obviously know the place inside out (NPI).
God that makes me miss Winter
Incredible! I'd love to surf it like that, thought crowds are a bit hectic.
When I was passing through..
But around the corner I had these fun lefts and rights..
Same here Craig...never really got great Mundaka but some fun waves in and around the area. Did score an inconsistent low tide afternoon session once with only half a dozen friendly locals and myself but their generosity fell short of allowing me any set waves. The 3ft leftovers left me with just a taste of what it could be like at size...
Ah bummer, even with a crowd that low and being a visiting Aussie they didn't give you a set. Bit of bad luck!
It was just breaking...sets every 20 mins or so...maybe 4/5 waves in each set...was happy to get a few leftovers and sit down the order, be polite. Towards the end of the arvo I missed a complete set and drifted up to the head of the peak alone as everyone had got a wave. As they made their way back out they all sat down the line a little so I thought I was sweet...then nothing...maybe 30 mins of flat ocean as it got darker. Finally a set arrives and a guy makes clear intention to go so I let it go by, same again for the second one and the two closest to me are gone. The third looks perfect and with clear space between me and the last two guys further down the line...I go. A perfect 4-5ft Mundaka freight train...a pretty smooth entry...draw a line off the bottom and pull in. And get buried by old mate on the shoulder.
Close as I ever got.
Fark, heart breaking story right there. Bastards!
Needs a big swell to fire up from what I understand - so mustn't fire that often? Sick looking wave.
Yeah really protected. Was flat while around the back was 3-4ft. Wave off the island looked fun as well for a longer board!
Surfed it twice, probably '92?
Paddled out on a dropping tide, but still quite full, and had it fun but not classic with no crowd. As it got really good (still only 4ft), all the rippers came out, but no dramas.
The mirror image of Mundaka would be an absolute dream.
Such a wave exists .
"Take me to your leader..."
Yeah it’s called Kirra
I spent a week in a town about 50km east of there last October and watched the forecast like a hawk the whole time, hoping for a sudden 4m swell to roll in. I was ready for the strike mission, but it never eventuated, so I had to settle for 3-4 foot rivermouth wedges instead. They were great waves, but it left me wondering about what could have been.
Two weeks later I was a few hundred kms west without a board and the swell arrived. Story of my life...
There's a great story by Sandow Birk in an old issue of Deep. At it's heart it's a story of disparity: the lengths we go to chasing perfect waves and how little we actually score them, but the set up is in the campground overlooking Mundaka. Days spent waiting for the wave becomes weeks while the rain sets in and his annoyingly chipper Kiwi travel partner gets drunk on cheap vino.
Finally he cracks, can't take the sodden waiting anymore. "Don't go," says the Kiwi. "You'll miss it."
A month later, safe and dry back in California, he collects the post and there's an air mail envelope postmarked Bakio with the Kiwi's scrawled words on the front.
You know the rest...
(OT: As well as being handy with words, Sandow also goes alright with a brush)
Surfed it in '87 - had it for 2 days about 4-6ft and a perfect offshore. Being RFF, it was absolute bliss. Locals were really friendly and a great vibe, except there was one arsehole Aussie :( thought he owned the place. Not a great example to the rest of the world.
That wave 2.50-3.18.
What a ride.
From the side angle, on most of the waves the spray being blown back by the offshore is quite spectacular.
Scored it ,not worth the hassle a great wave ruined by a greedy crowd. Mate didn't want to hassle amongst the madness. To many great waves blown. Paddle outs easy but effects rotation. Watching boards get blown out to sea
never to be reclaimed. Classic. Europe superbank.
What a clip. Looks like a cold water version of G-land. Minus the 100m long closeouts and also no crazy monkeys to deal with.
Also looked like North Point from side on.
Bucket list is hiring a car / van for a few months from Sept - Dec split between Portugal, Spain and France.
Haha that crazy black monkey , some of my mates ran into him, i didnt luckily I was walking along the Bush track , pitch black just waiting for the little fucker to come out of the trees and scare the fuck out of me.
I timed it perfectly for a great swell in October 2012 as part of a big euro van trip. Was gutted when I ran down the cobblestones in my wetsuit with board to find the wave shutdown for the local boardriders, which went on for 3 days. Place only breaks for a few hours a day with those mega tides. Bakio was slim consolation, but our next stop at Rodiles, a similar rivermouth further west was all time. Even got to camp under gum trees ha. Great Video.
Had it just like that in 82, four of us in the camper van for six months through France, Spain and Portugal, living on cheese bread and red wine Ha Ha Ha
Lived there for nearly 2 years in the early 90's and had 4 winters there all up. Some of the waves of my life and lucky enough to surf it in stellar conditions with less than 10 out a LOT of times. Pre internet and the fact that only a handful of local surfers actually lived in Mundaka at the time also helped. So did being fluent in Spanish.
Haven't surfed there in good conditions since 96' and it's a total write off now whenever it breaks.
You lucky bugger
Yep, surfed it in 92, jump off the dock, no paddle, easy takeoff, pull in. Get Barelled,, high line get barrelled again. Basque women were friendly as well.