A Modern Approach To A Trad Coast

From the 1600s to the early 1800s, young European men embarked on educational journeys around Europe as a way to mark their transition into adulthood. This tradition was known as “The Grand Tour.”

While most who travel to Europe for surf today attempt something similar by ticking a handful of countries off their lists, Sean Gunning spent the summer of 2024 closer to home, in Cantabria.

As his name suggests, Sean was born in Spain to an Australian father. “I moved to Australia when I was 17 and graduated high school there,” he tells Stab from Valencia, where he’s helping with relief efforts as the region faces its worst floods in decades.

Initially planning to stay for just a year, Sean ended up spending five, working as a dishwasher and eventually becoming a chef.

“I like competing, but couldn’t afford to do the QS in Australia, so I moved back to Spain in June.” Back home, the third-culture screwfoot performed for and edited the clip above while living in a backyard tent at his parents’ house, which they partially rent out during the summer.

Sean brings a refined combination of rail work and lofty punts to the wedgy sandbars in his immediate vicinity: “90% of these waves are filmed at my local beach break.”

With lesser access and coastal infrastructure than its neighboring countries, Spain hides a fair share of gems in areas still untouched by mass tourism. Finding them may not be easy – just ask anyone who’s tried to track down Kepa Acero for a beach picnic – but the payoff hits different.