Chucho Nonnot scores in the French Basque Country

For a long time, I have been hoping to ride this spot with my wing. However, that's not an easy task as conditions in the French Basque Country for winging are really unstable. The Basque Country is a region known for its powerful waves, stunning landscapes, and a deep-rooted love for the ocean. However, this was not going to be a typical day of gliding serenely across calm waters; this was a rendezvous with a storm, a chance to ride the untamed forces of nature. So, the search for good wind is a tough one. But it happens when big Atlantic storms come in the way, between two cloudbursts, the wind is on, and especially the waves.

We wanted to shoot this one for a while. We saw some strong winds on the way and were prepared to go for it. I could hear the rain pouring heavily the night before, I could feel the power of the storm and knew the waves were already huge.

As the morning dawned, the air was electric with anticipation. It was a lot of preparation for when we should go. So we had the classic morning phone call with Mathys and brainstormed over croissants and coffee. We had to choose when would be the best time. Which is the best tide? When will the wind be the strongest and most reliable? When is the best light to shoot? We decided to go late evening.

So arriving at the spot, it was hectic. You could see people walking on a 10m sea wall and getting splashed unexpectedly by a big wave. So we knew it was way bigger than usual.

 Getting in the water also wasn’t the easiest, big shore break but it was just about manageable. Getting out of the water was a bigger issue, trying to manage all the backwash coming from the shorebreak.

As I tacked upwind I could see that the wave broke a long way out, I could see it, but from where I was it looked solid but nothing special. Then I began to get closer and closer to the lineup, and I could hear the sound of the waves breaking fiercely. I then realised just how big it was. I could see these massive splashes coming from the pier, it was beautiful and exhilarating at the same time!

In the water, it was hard to be in the right spot in the lineup for the waves, but once you were in that place and you caught the bomb, it was just enjoying the moment. Full front foot pressure trying to manage the speed. On the second section, it gets a bit cleaner and better for turns. A fun long ride goes on, more than 600m of wave riding with different sections.

Winging in these conditions is insane because it's like tow-in, it is way easier to get in the spot for the bigger ones and get back to the lineup effortlessly, it feels like an evolution of surf foiling, using all types of nature's power in your favour, to have the best session ever. It's just the beginning of this evolution. I think the possibility of getting bigger and bigger waves is there and we will see it in the future.

The gear that allowed my success was the HA650, to manage the high speeds in the waves, the Nova 3.5, an ideal size for these very polyvalent conditions, 5 to 32 knots, and the Swell 4’6. This is without doubt my favorite setup for wave riding. 

For sure, this will be a session to remember, sharing the stoke with my friend Mathys, getting the shots together, and combining all powers of nature thanks to the North gear is a special feeling. Pushes me to go back in the water and have fun again.

By Chucho Nonnot

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