Ibon Amatriain has been considered the best big wave surfer in Europe for the last two decades. His humility and quiet character, along with his unimpeachable revolutionary style, have made him one of the most admired underground surfers in the world. He is also respected as a mentor to the new generation of big wave surfers, such as Axi Muniain and Aritz Aranburu, both of whom are from the same municipality as Ibon, Zarautz, located in the Basque Country.

Ibon’s pioneering vision takes a holistic and healthy approach, not only to surfing, but also to life itself. His philosophy has earned him the nickname “Sensei”, which in Japanese means “teacher”. His renaissance man approach involves practicing yoga and resistance exercises, as well as working on arm power and using surfskates to polish his surfing technique.