big waves France

[yupster]

Summer in France can be a bit frustrating for swell. The swell can pulse, meaning that a 6ft swell can arrive, disappear the next day & then come back in the following day. When it gets to big for the beachies & your in the Basque Land near the Spanish border there are a few great options. You head to a town called called Guethary & then drive towards the port. Park up the top of the hill if there is room. This overlooks a few breaks that will blow your mind. A deep channel has been gouged in the rocks below which allow boats to come in & out when there is swell. This has formed a perfect left & a right. To the right is a right hander called Guethary & the left a left called Les Alcyons. Both have pretty much the same wave but peel off in reverse. When it's big paddling out with anything less than a 7ft board can leave you undergunned in the paddling stakes. The bigger boards can pick out bigger waves further out giving them always the priority. It's an awesome powerful wave & I have surfed both at 10ft. Both breaks are a 300m paddle from the shore. But further out the back you might see Avalanches. It's about a 600m paddle. If Guethary & Les Alcyons are breaking at 10ft this will be 14ft. It also has a shallow looking reef below. So it's only for the brave who are looking for uncrowded waves. There are some locals in the village who only come out with their 7" 6' guns only when the waves are big. While they mightn't be excellent surfers they know their break & commans respect