Celebrated Surfboard Shaper Iñigo Letamendia Passes Away
Iñigo Letamendia, the founder and visionary behind the Pukas brand – a monolithic surfboard manufacturer out of the Basque Country, Spain – has died. He was 77 years old.
News about Letamendia’s passing trickled in from San Sebastian Friday. Along with it, a trip down memory lane featuring photos of Letamendia throughout the years, a commemoration of the late board-builder’s impact spanning vast generations of surfers hailing from all over the world, along with condolences from the global surfing community.
See the post announcing Letamendia’s passing from Pukas’ official account below.
The post stated:
Iñigo Letamendia (1948-2025)
His unconventional approach to life was the igniter of epic surf adventures that finally led to the foundation of @pukassurf in 1979.
“Indigo” had a massive cross-generational and multi-cultural impact, and built a world wide web of long lasting friendships and chaos through decades.
He passed away in San Sebastián, surrounded in private by the love of his life Marian and his two children Tala and Adur.
Perhaps most famously, and most recently in the annals of surf history, Pukas Surfboards have been under the feet of Brazilian Gabriel Medina – but that was by way of Johnny Cabianca, one of Pukas’ shapers, who later went on to create his own namesake brand.
Following the news of his passing, the surf world mourned, offering their condolences:
“LEGEND. So sorry for your loss. Sending lots of love your way from the entire Machado family.” – Rob Machado
“Rest easy, Inigo. Condolences to Marion, Tala, Adur and the entire extended family.” – Matt Biolos
“We had such a great time, Iñigo, thank you so much. Hugs to the family.” – Kepa Acero
“Iñigo was a true original—someone whose passion for surfing, board building, and community left a mark far beyond the Basque Country. His energy, generosity, and spirit helped shape one of Europe’s most influential surf families.” – Channel Islands Surfboards
Rest in peace, Iñigo Letamendia.