Surf Forecast Le Mascaret - Gironde
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Le Mascaret - Gironde surfspot characteristics
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The biggest spring tides push the 70kms down the Gironde Estuary, then fork at the meeting of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, before a slow tidal bore forms, five and a half hours after dead low at the ocean. With a buoyant longboard and a sense of humour, Le Mascaret can offer over ten minutes of mellow surf, far from the sea. Best when river levels are low, post summer, so the wave has a chance to break on the undulating bottom. Crowds can easily exceed 100 at the widest point near St Pardon, spread between each bank and the central sand(mud!) bar. A mix of boards, SUP's and sideways slipping kayaks will jostle on the face of the bigger initial wave of up to 10 in the set, but the following "whelps" are much harder to catch.
It's a river, no facilities
Behind the bore comes a powerful torrent of muddy, polluted, debris laden fresh water moving at up to 9 knots (14kmh), plus there's large rocks and logs to avoid. St-Pardon is also the local hub for dozens of bore-riders who now search for secret river spots further upstream by boat and zodiac (25kmh speed limit). Recent records have been set on the upstream arms of the deeper Garonne (8km/26min) and shallower Dordogne (8km/40min), showing depth equals speed. PWC's are banned between Izon, downriver and Vayres harbour, upriver, when tidal range is higher than 85.