Meñakoz

Meñakoz is one of the Basque Country's heaviest waves, a big-wave reef break hidden in a cove between Sopela and Bakio, west of Bilbao. It has a fearsome reputation and is spoken of with respect by experienced surfers across northern Spain.

The wave is a powerful right-hand reef that only comes to life on large north-west swells, when it can hold serious size and throw thick, fast, barrelling walls over a rock bottom. This is emphatically an expert spot: strong currents, a long paddle and heavy water make it unsuitable for beginners or even most intermediates. On the biggest days it draws a small crowd of committed big-wave surfers.

Deep autumn and winter are the season, when Atlantic storms send the long-period groundswell the reef needs, ideally with light southerly offshore winds. For much of the year it simply does not break, which adds to its mystique.

Access is part of the challenge, reached on foot down a track and path from the clifftops between the surf towns of Sopela and Bakio, both linked to Bilbao. There are no facilities at the cove itself, so surfers come prepared and self-sufficient. For travellers it is more often a spectacle to watch from the cliffs than a wave to ride, and it underlines how powerful the Biscay coast can be.