Here in the country of the Basques, a small, fiercely independent people whose origins continue to mystify historians and anthropologists, the waters of the Gernika River push into the deep, unsheltered Golfo de Vizcaya (Bay of Biscay). And Mundaka, with its legendary left-hander—steady and consistent, its 1,000-foot length broken by deep tubes—draws surfers from around the world. Just offshore, the tiny island of Izaro nudges a mere 150 feet above the Atlantic, but it's enough to funnel the waves and send them rolling in from the northwest. Ride those steady, swelling curlers—up to 12 feet high—until they break evenly, dropping you onto sandy beach. Such is the international reputation of this small coastal hamlet (easily accessible by train from the Basque city of Bilbao) that each year it hosts a round of the World Surfing Championship.
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