SURFER SPOTS: HOSSEGOR

A finger of extremely deep water, half a mile from the beach, called the
“Gouf of Capbreton” points towards this are, that helps to explain the power
of waves. Spots include le Pic Ouest in front of the notorious “Rockfood,”
the popular surfer hangout at night, les Culs Nuls and la Graviere which
need more swell than Seignosse to work properly. Right before the jetty is
the epi nord which is the last bank outside, producing pounding right from
4-12′.

The Surf
France is divided into three distinct surf regions: The Mediterranean with
occasional winter swells, the NW Atlantic with less swell exposure and
colder weather, and the SW, referring to the Aquitaine region. Aquitaine’s
stretch of coast stands out at France’s best surf. A vast undersea canyon
off shore funnels the swell into the wide right-angled V formed by France
and Spain. The result can be surf of great speed and power. This setup also
helps to explain why the surf in NW France has less impact and consistency.

Most swells are generated by low-pressure systems traveling from NE of
Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, and Scandinavia during summer ad lower
latitude tracks in winter may bring cold storms ashore. The beach breaks
north of Anglet work best on small to medium swell.

Surfing remained a marginal sport in France until the World Amateur
Championships at Hossegor in 1980. The professional circuit then began to
make an annual stop in France, first at Lacanau and then at Hossegor and
Biarritz, with a big boom in the surf industry. There are now about 25,000
surfers spread out all over the country, but mainly concentrated in
Aquitaine.

More Info:
•See photos from the Rip Curl Hossegor Super Series