Just down the coast from Spain’s wonderful Basque Country surf zone is the city of Santander. And what you may not know is, there’s a big wave arena that breaks only a stone’s throw out from that cultural hub.
And each year, invited surfers gather to compete right there, as part of the the La Vaca Gigante, a big wave event that’s pretty wild. It’s now back for its 16th year, with a waiting period running from October to May, and is one of the last few remaining big wave competitions of the European surf circuit. Check the highlights above, it’ll make you wince.
The video features surfers:
Indar Unanue (Euskadi, 2024 champion)
Joaquin del Castillo (Peru, El Buey Santos del Mar 2024 champion)
Maud Le Car (France)
Manuel Lezcano (Canary Islands, Spain 2025 champion)
Xabi Lopez (2nd place, Spain Championship 2025)
Eneko Merino (3rd place, Spain Championship 2025)
Nico García (Best Cantabrian surfer 2025)
Pilou Ducalme (France)
Shannon Marie Quirk (USA)
Miguel Castrillón (Andalusia)
Also featuring:
Pedro García (Organizer, Club ObsessionA2)
Samuel Bedia (Judge, Cantabrian Surf Federation)
Dani Pablos (Jet Ski)
Diego Botín (Sailor, Olympic gold medalist, Paris 2024)
Fidel Cueto (Head of Safety)
