Basque surfer Axi Muniain was recognised last week by the mayor of Nazaré, Walter Cavaleiro Chicharro, in a ceremony that has become quite traditional for the Portuguese people, in which the athlete has his plaque and board inside the famous lighthouse that looks out over one of the darkest waves on the planet.

The ceremony took place on March 20, a very special date because it marked the end of winter in the northern hemisphere and which surely gave Axi something to think about, at least for a few weeks.

But a few days later a strong swell hit the Basque coast and Axi could not turn his back on the challenge of surfing the Izarraiz wave for the first time (see note and video here).

After a 2016-2017 season that ended with an ugly accident in Nazaré, the 2017-2018 season showed the surfer a better face, going down several of the biggest waves on the biggest days and coming out practically unscathed.

Muniain already has more than 25 nominations for the 2018 edition of the XXL Awards, which will take place in California in April.