Photo: Ben Gravy // YouTube
Ben Gravy is out hunting novelty waves again. This time, it was in San Sebastian, located in Spain’s Basque Country. A 15-foot tide swing created a rideable swell that swept into the mouth of the Urumea River, creating what Gravy called “the ultimate novelty wave,” right inside the city.
However, novelty waves can be fickle beasts, and the ephemeral nature of a wave that only exists under very specific conditions can make for a stressful session, as Gravy found out the hard way. “The stress is real,” he said, as he headed for the water. “We waited for this wave for hours and now I feel like it’s literally disappearing in front of my eyes. Like I waited too long and now the tide’s too high.”
From there, it was just a climb down a sketchy ladder and a paddle under a bridge, before he was riding the urban river wave of his dreams. Soon after, the wave was gone, though. The novelty giveth and the novelty taketh away.
