Mundaka

Mundaka, Basque Country (Biscay), Spain

Sports: Surfing

Best time to go: January–March, November–December

Mundaka is a small fishing village on the Basque coast of northern Spain, at the mouth of the Oka river and the Urdaibai estuary, a protected biosphere reserve. The river deposits a sandbar at the estuary entrance, and when a large north-west swell from the Bay of Biscay lines up with it, the result is a long, fast and very hollow left-hand barrel. Southerly and south-westerly winds blow offshore. The wave depends on the shape of the sandbar, which changes with river flow and dredging, so some seasons are far better than others.

The wave is fickle and only works on the right combination of swell, wind and tide, mostly from autumn to winter. Surfers usually jump in from the harbour wall and use the river current to reach the line-up, but the same current can pull you into the estuary or out to sea, so watch the flow before entering. The take-off zone is small and the crowd on good days is skilled and competitive, with local surfers given priority. It is suitable only for advanced surfers.

Month by month at Mundaka

January: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 2.4 m, water 13°C, air 13°C (nights 7°C), 16 sunny days, 16 rainy days
February: 4 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 2.4 m, water 13°C, air 15°C (nights 8°C), 19 sunny days, 14 rainy days
March: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 2.1 m, water 13°C, air 16°C (nights 9°C), 24 sunny days, 18 rainy days
April: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 15°C, air 17°C (nights 10°C), 26 sunny days, 14 rainy days
May: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 17°C, air 20°C (nights 13°C), 29 sunny days, 14 rainy days
June: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.1 m, water 21°C, air 24°C (nights 17°C), 26 sunny days, 12 rainy days
July: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.1 m, water 23°C, air 25°C (nights 18°C), 30 sunny days, 12 rainy days
August: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 23°C, air 25°C (nights 18°C), 28 sunny days, 14 rainy days
September: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 22°C, air 24°C (nights 16°C), 27 sunny days, 14 rainy days
October: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.7 m, water 20°C, air 22°C (nights 15°C), 23 sunny days, 12 rainy days
November: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 2.4 m, water 17°C, air 17°C (nights 11°C), 18 sunny days, 17 rainy days
December: 4 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 2.2 m, water 15°C, air 14°C (nights 8°C), 15 sunny days, 15 rainy days

When is the best time to go surfing at Mundaka?

January–March, November–December, when the waves are biggest.

How warm is the water at Mundaka?

13°C to 23°C over the year: a shorty or lycra in the warmest month, a 5/4 with boots in the coolest.

How windy is Mundaka?

About 27 days a year with at least 2 hours of 15+ knots in the daytime, most in January.

Figures from 5 years of weather data (Open-Meteo).

Spots near Mundaka

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