SESSION ALERT
Illa Pancha Challenge is an international big wave tow-in surfing contest held in Ribadeo, Galicia. The best surfers in the world are attracted every year by the quality of this wave, which makes this event unique and exceptional.
Prize money: 10,000€
Illa Pancha Challenge is an international big wave tow-in surfing contest held in Ribadeo, Galicia. The best surfers in the world are attracted every year by the quality of this wave, which makes this event unique and exceptional.
Prize money: 10,000€

BIG WAVE CONTEST

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Illa Pancha Challenge 2021

El Illa Pancha Challenge es sin duda el evento de surf más desafiante que se ha realizado en Europa hasta el momento. La ola alcanza fácilmente los 18 metros de

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FAQS

Tow-in surfing is a new type of surfing that began in the early nineties for the practice of surfing in spots of special characteristics, with very big waves or difficult to access. It is done by towing the surfboard with a jet ski in which the surfer is dragged with a wakeboard rope to the inside of the wave, allowing him to perform maneuvers that he would not otherwise be able to perform. 

Not long ago, helicopters were also used instead of jet skis to achieve greater speed to eliminate the effect of the jet ski on the surface of the water.

With this type of surfing also arises an adapted type of board, smaller and lighter than usual, designed in its size and shape to achieve high speeds while maintaining good maneuverability.

On our website you can find in the Home, the icon of a traffic light with the three usual colors: green, yellow and red. This traffic light will warn about the possible holding of the different sessions that take place during the whole season of big waves depending on the swells that are entering.

According to weather forecasts, the alerts will change colour, from red to yellow and finally green. The meaning of each alert would be as follows:
Red Alert: activated on the opening day of the season.
Yellow Alert: activated 10 days before swell if there is good forecast of big waves.
Green Alert: it is activated 3 days before the sessions confirming its realization and the participants are summoned.

This wave is generated on the Ribadense coast, in the vicinity of the Illa Pancha lighthouse. What makes this wave stand out is not because of its size or shape, is because of its quality. It can easily reach the 18 meters of height, so you can see sea pipes and breakers that are a show, that not all are able to ride.
The big difference between the wave of Nazaré and the one of O Panchorro is that the last one is much more technical and demands more effort.
The first time surfed was on one of the big wave expeditions on the Galician coast by the professional surfer Eric Rebiere in 2018.
Also, the good thing about O Panchorro is that the wave is very close to the coast and most people can see the world’s best big wave surfers surfing it.

Get to know us

After Surf is the main organizer of the Illa Pancha Challenge, an international big wave tow-in surfing contest that takes place in Ribadeo, Galicia. After Surf is developing different projects around the world of surfing, since it’s also one of the organizers of the big wave contest Coruña Big Waves, the City Council of A Coruñat, the Spanish Surfing Federation, The Galician Surfing Federation.

In addition to being the organizer of this kind of events, which are turning the Galician community into one of the epicenters of big wave surfing in a nationally and internationally level, After Surf is a versatile space based in Bastiagueiro beach, A Coruña, constituted by a surf & skate school, a gastrobar and hotel, and a surf and skate shop, which offers to the public different options of sports and leisure activities.

After Surf is the main organizer of the Illa Pancha Challenge, an international big wave tow-in surfing contest that takes place in Ribadeo, Galicia. After Surf is developing different projects around the world of surfing, since it’s also one of the organizers of the big wave contest Coruña Big Waves, the City Council of A Coruñat, the Spanish Surfing Federation, The Galician Surfing Federation.

In addition to being the organizer of this kind of events, which are turning the Galician community into one of the epicenters of big wave surfing in a nationally and internationally level, After Surf is a versatile space based in Bastiagueiro beach, A Coruña, constituted by a surf & skate school, a gastrobar and hotel, and a surf and skate shop, which offers to the public different options of sports and leisure activities.

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