Region 03 · 10 spots
Surfing in
French Atlantic
French Atlantic has 10 spots in The European Surf Atlas, from Lacanau to Lafitenia. The best months are Oct, Nov, and the water runs from about 12 °C in winter to 22 °C in summer.
- Best months
- Oct · Nov
- Water
- 12° / 22°
- Spots
- 10
- Levels
- 1 beginner4 intermediate2 advanced3 expert
Average of all 10 spots. Single spots can work outside the peak.
The spots
- 024LacanauLacanau-Océan, Gironde · Beach break
Long town beach split by rock groynes, with consistent peaks and a contest history going back to 1979.
Intermediate - 025Les EstagnotsSeignosse, Landes · Beach break
Seignosse's best-known A-frame, hollow at high tide and able to hold size when other banks max out.
Intermediate+ when big - 026La GravièreHossegor, Landes · Beach break
Thick-lipped, sand-sucking barrels close to shore, the wave that made Hossegor a byword for tubes.
Expert only - 027La NordHossegor, Landes · Peak
Hossegor's big-wave peak, focused by the Gouf de Capbreton and rideable up to around 6 m.
Expert, big wave - 028CapbretonCapbreton, Landes (La Piste) · Beach break
Banks south of the jetty, shaped by fallen WWII bunkers, that can throw barrels to rival Hossegor.
Advanced - 029AngletAnglet, Pays Basque · Beach
Jetty-framed sandbars that turn NW swell into clean A-frame peaks, left and right, a short ride from Biarritz.
Intermediate - 030Grande PlageBiarritz, Pays Basque · Beach
The town beach in front of the casino, an easy and sheltered sandbar break when Anglet gets too big or messy.
Beginner to intermed. - 031Côte des BasquesBiarritz, Pays Basque · Beach
The birthplace of French surfing, a long sandy beach under the cliffs with gentle walls loved by longboarders.
Beginner, longboard - 032ParlementiaGuéthary, Pays Basque · Reef
France's classic big-wave reef, a deepwater right peak far offshore that comes alive on big winter W to NW swells.
Advanced to expert - 033LafiteniaSaint-Jean-de-Luz, Pays Basque · Point
A long right point peeling across a sheltered bay, one of the best quality waves on the Basque coast.
Intermed. to advanced
Swell window, offshore wind, tide, size, hazards, access and a Plan B for every spot are on the spot cards in the atlas.
Getting there
Fly to Bordeaux (BOD) or Biarritz (BIQ). TGV trains from Paris reach Bordeaux in about 2 h and Bayonne/Biarritz in about 4 h. The A63 runs down the coast.
A car is easiest. The Vélodyssée cycle route follows the coast. TER trains and local buses link the bigger towns, less so the beaches.
Lacanau, Hossegor, Seignosse, Capbreton, Biarritz, Anglet. Surf camps are often based in pine-forest campsites.
The European Surf Atlas
All 10 spot cards for French Atlantic, plus 7 more regions.
The wind table tells you which spot is offshore today, the van and camping rules keep you out of trouble, and every card names a Plan B. 115 pages, €24.90 incl. VAT.