There must be something in the water in the Basque Country. That’s the only explanation from our vantage why the likes of Kepa Acero, Aritz Aranburu, and Natxo Gonzalez have such a penchant for untapped, perfect surf, and luck on their side when it comes to finding it.
Three Basque surfers, and a little Indian perfection. Photo: Jon Aspuru
Remember Natxo Gonzalez’s discovery of this little mysto screamer the internet was quick to declare was the same as Mick Fanning’s infamous find, the Snake? A year later, Natxo was kind enough to share it with his friends. Then there’s Kepa Acero who ain’t afraid to go it alone.
As a matter of fact, Kepa tried to get to the wave you see above alone back in 2012. Tired, exasperated, and without anyone around him that spoke English, Spanish, or Basque, Kepa realized there was no way he could get to the wave he discovered on Google Earth. He was four kilometers away.
Six years later, Natxo Gonzalez reached out to Kepa about a wave he’d found on Google Earth. Kepa’s 2012 discovery and this one Natxo found were one in the same. And together with Aritz Aranburu, they were going to give surfing it another shot.
Locals – shoulder to shoulder. Photo: Jon Aspuru
On a remote Indian island that’s actually illegal to access, the crew found an untouched, beautiful little lineup where the only locals were cows. Still, something was wrong. The barreling right point was too fast. A touch slower and it could have been the perfection they dreamed of.
Natxo Gonzalez called this the worst night of his life. Photo: Jon Aspuru
As Kepa explains, though, sometimes waves may be what drive us to travel, but undoubtedly over time they fall away and the experiences that surround them are the ones we remember.
