They Do Love Their Water Sports in San Sebastian Spain

During our stay in San Sebastian last October, we were amazed by the prevalence of water sports that we saw. We knew that the city's beaches are part of its appeal. So we expected to see swimming and surfing, which we did. But we didn't know that we'd see so many people participating in so many different water sports in all kinds of weather.

Sailboats racing about on a rainy day

The weather was beautiful on the afternoon we arrived in San Sebastian. We had expected cool weather, so we did not bring swimsuits on this trip. However, we did roll up our pant legs and wade in the refreshing sea water. As we walked along the beach, we watched several people in kayaks rowing back and forth across the bay. My wife and I both do some kayaking at Island Lake in Minnesota. For us, it's just a leisurely way to get out on the water and enjoy the scenery. The kayakers we saw in San Sebastian were serious rowers. We were impressed by how fast they went.

The next day, the weather turned grey and threatened rain. We carried umbrellas as we walked along the Urumea River that runs through the middle of the city. Despite the unpleasant weather, we saw several rowers sculling up and down the river.

The following day the weather was even worse. We imprudently neglected to carry umbrellas and got rained on during our hike up Monte Urgull (one of 3 high hills that provide vista views of San Sebastian, its bay and the ocean beyond). The rain didn't dissuade us; we were already committed to the hike. But we were surprised to see small sailboats racing back and forth in the bay.

But the activity that amazed me the most was river surfing on the Urumea. Our last day in San Sebastian provided a return to beautiful weather. On our morning walk (intending to hike up Monte Ulia, the second of the 3 hills), I was fascinated to observe how the high tide allowed ocean waves to roll into the mouth of the river. It's a phenomenon I've never seen before. But as interesting as that was, it was even more amazing to see people surfing up river on the waves! They were on stand-up paddleboards which they rowed into the waves as they broke. It was a truly singular sight. (Sorry, no photo. But you can read more about it by clicking this link.)

Sculling on the Urumea River