Basque history is deeply intertwined with the sea. With the Cantabrian washing up onto the entirety of the region, the Basques have been seamen and fishermen and explorers for as long as their history can be remembered. It is becoming increasingly clear, for example, that Basque fishermen were routinely visiting the Grand Banks and Newfoundland at least a century before anyone else from Europe had been to North America, an astonishing fact when you take into account the risks of such a trip and the boats they were using to do so. For centuries, Basques were whaling in the North Sea with massive success, in rowboats barely large enough to hold eight men. Think about that for a second. Rowing yourself from Bermeo to Iceland to catch WHALES?! Whoa. No thank you.
But what Basques also adore, and have since the beginning of the sport, is surfing. The Bay of Biscay offers some of the best (and also most treacherous) breaks on the planet, and the entire coast is peppered with surf-crazy towns big and small. And it is surfing that led us to Loreak Mendian...
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