Some time ago we were talking about the best beaches to surf in Spain, finding Mundaka in this classification. Let's take a walk through the history of your beach.
Mundaka and surfing
The wave in this town has been considered one of the best lefts in the world, and for many years one of the events that scored points in the world surfing championship (ASP World Tour) was even held here. ) called "Billabong Pro Mundaca".
Every year, especially between autumn and winter, which is when the surf season is in the best conditions in the north of our country, it is visited by hundreds of surfers who come from all over our country and the rest of the country. world.
But why did this test stop taking place? Laida beach received a dredging of 300,000 cubic meters of sand from the Urdaibai estuary in 2003, causing the mythical wave to lose strength. It was no longer viable to hold a test of these dimensions in a wave that had lost its essence and strength.
From then on and with the passing of the years, the various storms that have hit the Biscayan coasts have managed, perhaps unintentionally or perhaps with all the intention in the world, for the wave to return to what it was: with tubes, a height of 2 meters and a distance of about 400 meters.
Laida's Regeneration
After the last storms, the Urdaibai Board of Trustees has decided to regenerate Laida beach, for which they have to do a new dredging of about 40,000 cubic meters of sand in the port of Mundaka to revert it to the beach.
It is estimated that this process will last for about three months, after which it is intended to obtain about 20,000 square meters of surface, since right now the beach at high tide practically does not exist.
Likewise, and together with the reversal of the sand, the breakwater wall located at the mouth of the estuary will be reconstructed, in addition to laying foundations for the accesses to the estuary. beach so that pedestrians can reach it more easily.
According to the Environment and the Basque Government, this is simply an aid to nature, since it is believed that in about 7 years there could be a beach again, it will generate 108 jobs in the area and will help ensure that the restoration of the town is not affected. .
What do surfers think?
A movement called #SaveMundaka has been created that can be seen on all social networks and through which surfers from all over are trying to stop the project, as it will affect the well-known leftist wave.
In addition, signature collection has been carried out from the Change.org platform to try to save the wave that has provided so many good moments throughout history. They claim that it is more than just a wave, that it is an emblem of surfing and a beauty of the Basque coast, something for which one should feel proud.
Let us remember that it is a Biosphere Reserve and that there are as many people in favor as there are detractors. Which side are you on?
Here we leave you with a video about the process that has already begun a few meters from the shore and not 100 meters as had been proposed:
