{"id":138653,"date":"2026-11-03T11:46:18","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T10:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/?p=138653"},"modified":"2026-11-03T11:46:18","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T10:46:18","slug":"punta-galea-challenge-2026-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"Punta Galea Challenge 2026\/27: Getxo&#8217;s big wave contest is back"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Red El\u00e9ctrica Punta Galea Big Wave Challenge returns to Getxo for the 2026\/27 season. It&#8217;s Europe&#8217;s longest-running big wave contest, held beneath the Punta Galea cliff, and once again we&#8217;re organising it from Pe\u00f1a Txuri Surf Eskola together with Adri\u00e1n Fern\u00e1ndez de Valderrama. This edition was presented on 27 October 2026, and since 1 November we&#8217;ve been keeping a close eye on the sea.<\/p>\n<p>In this article you&#8217;ll find the dates, the format, the confirmed surfers and how to watch. We&#8217;ll keep it updated right up to contest day.<\/p>\n<h2>The official 2026\/27 teaser<\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DfAvHdkRFvY\/\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\"max-width:540px;width:100%;margin:0 auto;\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DfAvHdkRFvY\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DfAvHdkRFvY\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Are you ready?&#8221; That&#8217;s how the organisers opened the teaser for the 2026\/27 edition, published on the day of the presentation on the contest&#8217;s official Instagram account, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/puntagaleachallenge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@puntagaleachallenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>When is it? The 2026\/27 waiting period<\/h2>\n<p>The Punta Galea has no fixed date. This edition has a <strong>waiting period from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027<\/strong>: six months to wait for a proper swell to arrive. As the organisers put it, the Bay of Biscay will decide the day.<\/p>\n<p>When the forecast looks right, the call comes in two steps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Yellow alert, 72 hours before:<\/strong> surfers and crew start arranging travel and logistics.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Green light, 48 hours before:<\/strong> contest day is confirmed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The contest runs for a single day, about eight hours, with the schedule set around the tide. The alert status is published on the <a href=\"https:\/\/puntagaleachallenge.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">official Punta Galea Challenge website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Why such a long wait? The wave at La Galea only breaks big with a powerful groundswell that has travelled a long way. We explain it in our article on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wave-formation\/\">how waves are formed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Format and prize money<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>30 invited surfers:<\/strong> 24 men and 6 women.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paddle-in only,<\/strong> no jet skis to tow surfers into the waves.<\/li>\n<li><strong>One day. Two finals. Two winners.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u20ac30,000 in prize money,<\/strong> split equally between the men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s categories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The organisers are looking for clean, consistent waves of around 6 metres. If you want to know what that figure means in the water, here&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/how-to-measure-waves-surfing\/\">how wave size is measured<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Confirmed surfers<\/h2>\n<p>The organisers will reveal the full line-up over the coming weeks. These are the names confirmed at the presentation:<\/p>\n<h3>Sol Borelli, from our high-performance team<\/h3>\n<p>Sol Borelli makes her La Galea debut this year. She&#8217;s the 2025 ISA U18 world champion, Argentinian by blood, lives in the Canary Islands and trains with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/surf-lesson-sopelana\/competition-high-performance\/\">Pe\u00f1a Txuri competition and high-performance team<\/a>. She was the star of our Alumn@ del mes (Student of the Month) series, and here you can read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/sol-borelli-world-champion-pena-txuri\/\">Sol Borelli&#8217;s story at Pe\u00f1a Txuri<\/a>. At the presentation she highlighted the great atmosphere and the warm welcome from the local surfers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/sol-borelli-presentacion-punta-galea-2026-27-h-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Sol Borelli at the presentation of the Punta Galea Challenge 2026\/27\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-138666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/sol-borelli-presentacion-punta-galea-2026-27-h-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/sol-borelli-presentacion-punta-galea-2026-27-h-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/sol-borelli-presentacion-punta-galea-2026-27-h-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/sol-borelli-presentacion-punta-galea-2026-27-h.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Photo: Edu Bartolom\u00e9<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The rest of the confirmed surfers<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Natxo Gonz\u00e1lez,<\/strong> a leading name in Basque big wave surfing, who grew up as a surfer with Aritza Saratxaga at our eskola.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Grant &#8220;Twiggy&#8221; Baker<\/strong> (South Africa), three-time big wave world champion.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nic Lamb<\/strong> (United States), two-time winner at La Galea.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dominique Charrier<\/strong> (Chile), back again in the women&#8217;s category.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The 2026\/27 presentation<\/h2>\n<p>The edition was presented on 27 October 2026 in Getxo, with the mayor, Amaia Agirre; Antonio Gonz\u00e1lez, from Red El\u00e9ctrica; Natxo Gonz\u00e1lez, Sol Borelli and Adri\u00e1n Fern\u00e1ndez de Valderrama.<\/p>\n<p>Natxo Gonz\u00e1lez described it as &#8220;a very special and exciting event&#8221;, in &#8220;a unique natural setting, like a natural amphitheatre&#8221;. On behalf of the main sponsor, Antonio Gonz\u00e1lez said it is &#8220;a contest that represents values we share, such as effort, adaptability and respect for the environment&#8221;, and stressed Red El\u00e9ctrica&#8217;s commitment to women&#8217;s sport.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ptx-galeria\" style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(280px,1fr));gap:12px;\">\n<figure style=\"margin:0;\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-presentacion-grupo-h-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Group photo at the presentation of the Punta Galea Challenge 2026\/27 in Getxo\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-138660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-presentacion-grupo-h-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-presentacion-grupo-h-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-presentacion-grupo-h-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-presentacion-grupo-h.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure style=\"margin:0;\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-rueda-de-prensa-h-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Press conference for the Punta Galea Challenge 2026\/27\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-138663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-rueda-de-prensa-h-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-rueda-de-prensa-h-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-rueda-de-prensa-h-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-rueda-de-prensa-h.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure style=\"margin:0;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-entrevista-radio-h-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Radio interview at the presentation of the Punta Galea Challenge 2026\/27\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-138672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-entrevista-radio-h-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-entrevista-radio-h-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-entrevista-radio-h-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-entrevista-radio-h.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure style=\"margin:0;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/sol-borelli-entrevista-punta-galea-2026-27-h-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Sol Borelli talking to the media at the presentation of the Punta Galea Challenge\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-138675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/sol-borelli-entrevista-punta-galea-2026-27-h-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/sol-borelli-entrevista-punta-galea-2026-27-h-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/sol-borelli-entrevista-punta-galea-2026-27-h-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/sol-borelli-entrevista-punta-galea-2026-27-h.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure style=\"margin:0;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-cartel-logos-h-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Punta Galea Challenge 2026\/27 poster with the sponsors&#x27; and partners&#x27; logos\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-138669\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-cartel-logos-h-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-cartel-logos-h-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-cartel-logos-h-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/punta-galea-challenge-2026-27-cartel-logos-h.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><em>Photo: Edu Bartolom\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>How to watch: from the cliff or live online<\/h2>\n<p>The Punta Galea cliff, around 70 metres high, works as a natural grandstand above the wave. On contest day the organisers run shuttle buses from the metro and set up a PA system on the clifftop. If you can&#8217;t make it, the contest will be streamed live on <a href=\"https:\/\/puntagaleachallenge.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">puntagaleachallenge.com<\/a>, which switches on the broadcast that same day.<\/p>\n<p>To check the sea before you head over, use our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/arrigunaga-webcam\/\">Arrigunaga beach webcam<\/a>, right below La Galea.<\/p>\n<h2>Pe\u00f1a Txuri on the organising team<\/h2>\n<p>For us, the Punta Galea is much more than a date on the calendar. The organising team includes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/team\/aritza-saratxaga\/\">Aritza Saratxaga<\/a>, the eskola&#8217;s technical director, and Naroa Saratxaga, alongside Adri\u00e1n Fern\u00e1ndez de Valderrama, who runs the event.<\/p>\n<p>Surfers who now compete in big waves have come through the eskola, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/yago-dominguez-from-summer-camps-to-the-world-surfing-elite\/\">Yago Dom\u00ednguez, who started out in our summer camps<\/a> and made his debut at La Galea. And it isn&#8217;t the only big wave in the area: just up the coast is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/menakoz-big-wave-surfing\/\">Me\u00f1akoz, Uribe Kosta&#8217;s other big wave<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to take your surfing to the next level, take a look at our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/perfectioning\/\">improvement courses<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to Red El\u00e9ctrica, main sponsor; to Laboral Kutxa, Styling and Fanga Loka; to EITB, media partner; to Getxo Town Council and Getxo Kirolak, to the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and to the Basque and Bizkaia surfing federations. Now all we need is for the sea to play its part.<\/p>\n<h2>The previous edition (2025\/26)<\/h2>\n<p>The 2025\/26 edition was surfed on 6 December 2025, with around 20,000 people on the cliff. The winners were Cl\u00e9ment Roseyro and Justine Dupont, in the contest&#8217;s first ever women&#8217;s final. We covered it all in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/punta-galea-challenge-2026\/\">report on the Punta Galea Challenge 2025\/26<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>When is the Punta Galea Challenge 2026\/27?<\/strong> On the day the waves arrive, between 1 November 2026 and 30 April 2027. It&#8217;s confirmed with the green light, 48 hours before.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can I watch it?<\/strong> From the Punta Galea cliff in Getxo, or live on puntagaleachallenge.com on contest day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many surfers compete?<\/strong> 30 invited surfers, 24 men and 6 women, paddle-in only, with \u20ac30,000 in prize money split equally.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who won the previous edition?<\/strong> In the 2025\/26 edition, on 6 December 2025, the winners were Cl\u00e9ment Roseyro and Justine Dupont.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Red El\u00e9ctrica Punta Galea Big Wave Challenge returns to Getxo for the 2026\/27 season. It&#8217;s Europe&#8217;s longest-running big wave contest, held beneath the Punta Galea cliff, and once again we&#8217;re organising it from Pe\u00f1a Txuri Surf Eskola together with Adri\u00e1n Fern\u00e1ndez de Valderrama. This edition was presented on 27 October 2026, and since 1 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":138678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-138653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-blog-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138653"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138681,"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138653\/revisions\/138681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escueladesurfsopelana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}