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Apart from providing food and constituting a living for coastal populations, the sea has become a place of leisure and tourist activity.
· ROWING.
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In the Basque Country, the rowing tradition has its origin in the fishermen, who had to row more quickly than other crews to be the first to sell their fish and get the best prices. In those first regattas, the participants were formed by different crews of fishermen who rowed using the same boats as the ones in which they fished.
The earliest regattas or official competitions between rowing boats go back to the 19th century.For example, the most important regatta, the Bandera de la Concha, was disputed for the first timeon August 3, 1865 and won by the fishermen’s guild of Ondarroa. From the 1951 edition on, the competition was open to men who were not fishermen. It was sufficient to be included in the census of the townof the guild being represented.
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One curious event took place during the first fifteen years of the 1900s, when, despite the fact that until that time, regattas were part of the summer programme of events,the city council of San Sebastián, considered rowing a coarse sport and not worthy of being displayed to summer visitors.Instead, sailboat regattas were planned. The rowing regattas were later held again.They have been organised in La Concha without interruption up to the present day, except during the Spanish Civil War.
The fishing spirit of the regattas continues to remain, even in the name of the boats, which are called “traineras”, as they were the boats in which fishing was done using a “traína” or “traíña”, a net that was especially appropriate for catching sardines. The “traineras” of today have not changed all that much compared to the old ones. In the same way as rowing has evolved to incorporate devices that enable the boat to move in such a way that the power of the rowing is increased, the “traineras” have maintained their fixed bench and wooden oars that are still used to perform the typical manoeuvre known as the “ciaboga”. This consists of turning the boat around completely by rowing forwards with the oars of one sideand backwards with those on theother side, or rowing those of one side backwards and dipping the prow oar into the water, thereby creating a point of support while the skipper, in the poop, moves the steering device in a circular direction. |
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Among the members of the Udalarrantz are several townships with an important rowing tradition.Thus, the first mention made of the participation of Hondarribia bears witness to a regatta organised in Baiona in 1862 in which Hondarribia won the race.The first official reference in writing of the participation of a boat from Orio, dates back to the year 1879 in the Regattas of la Concha in San Sebastián.
At the present time, “trainera” regattas are quite a sight to see, and generate a lot of excitement (up to 100,000 onlookers). They are held during the summer months (between July and September), when rowers from all over the Cantabrian area (Euskadi, Cantabria and Galicia) come together to compete in the most important competition (the Trainera Clubs Association league). If you would like some more information on the dates and places where the regattas are held, you can visit the website www.ligaact.com. |
· SURFING. |
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Surfing has its origins in the cultures of Micronesia and other Islands in the South Pacific: Maori, Fiji, Tonga, Thaiti,... Stories have reached us about the art of gliding over the waves in canoes and fishing boats, through local legends, passed down by word of mouth and in tales told by members of expeditions from the west in the 17th century. However it was not until the beginning of the 20th century that surfing arrived on the French Basque coast from California. The geographic shape of the gulf of Biscay, the prevailing winds in this area and its position in the northeast Atlantic lead to the presence of large waves, usually from the north west.These waves are the reason why surfing is becoming increasingly more popular and is now practised by a large number of enthusiasts, both locals and visitors.Enthusiasm for surfing has developed very rapidly and in 1990 the Basque Surfing Federation (EHSF) became a member of the European Surfing Federation (ESF), and today has several champions among its members. |
One of the most appropriate places for practising surfing is Mundaka, as the event known as the“Billabong Pro” takes place in the month of October. This is a world championship event for professionals. October is the month when the winds usually blow from the south-southwest (which are perfect for Mundaka), and there are heavy tides.
Basque surfing championships are also held in Getaria and Zumaia. For more information, the EHSF updates the calendar of the championships in its website: http://www.euskalsurf.com/calendarioPruebas.html. |
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FISHING AS A SPORT. |
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Man has practised fishing since the Stone Age, when bones sharpened in the style of pencils were used as rods and pieces of trailing plants as thread. Fishing as a sport and leisure activity is more recent, although it was also practised in the past.
The Basque fishing tradition has also had an influence in the development of fishing as a sport and leisure activity. Today, there are many fishing clubs that organise competitions, such as the “Tuna Fishing Competition” in its categories of tag and release and game fishing. The boats of this enthusiasts anchor in different marinas along the Basque coast.For useful information on mooring facilities in Hondarribia, Getaria and Bermeo visit the website www.ekpsa.com. |
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SCUBA DIVING. |
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One thousand years ago, there already existed underwater artefacts built by man and this is recorded in many drawings and ancient engravings.Man has always had a desire to dive, either to search for food, find artefacts, repair boats; and in moderntimes, to observe underwater life.In the 17th century, attempts werefirst made to try out manual systems for pumping air at depths of 18 metres.
The divers were supplied with air by means of a helmet joined to the surface by a tube, so that they could breathe. In the 19th century, the Frenchman Paul Bert and the Scotsman John Scott Haldane performed studies on the effects of water pressure on divers, andwere the first to develop safety tables for decompression.
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Just as Jules Verne imagined, in the 20th century the French explorers Emile Gagnan, Jacques Yves Cousteau and Freédéric Dumas developed the autonomous diving helmet, in which the fundamental element was a regulating device that supplied air to the diver at ambient pressure, i.e., air subjected to great pressure in a cylinder.
This development made it possible for man to dive to unimaginable depths, using a reasonable acceptable breathing system.All the equipment was developed at record speed; for example, the hydrostatic jacket which enabled the buoyancy of the diver to be freely adjusted, the diving computer and new bubble-free breathing systems.
Unlike the Mediterranean or the Red sea, the Cantabrian sea is not crystalline.In the gulf of Biscay the light is absorbed in the first few metres of water, due to the enormous quantity of suspended organic and inorganic matter from the water coming from the rivers, the re-suspension of fine sediment from the bottom and the existence of important microscopic life. The water temperature of the surface ranges from 12.5 degrees in winter to 20 degrees in summer, but at a depth of 15 m, fluctuates between 11.5 and 18.5 degrees Centigrade.Diving is usually practised in different diving clubs, which permit the oxygen cylinders to be refilled and on boats in diving areas, in order to explore places, reefs or even dykes that provide shelter for the differentspecies of fish. The clubs that offer their services to visitors and tourists can be found in the area entitled Organising of activities in the Active Tourism section.
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