Surf: The most regularly surfed wave in Capbreton, complete with 30yr old surf club. Picks up swells that close-out the open beaches and forms up nice, fat peaks. Good drops followed by slopey walls and close-out inside section. A righthander tends to form along the groyne and it gets much hollower the further south you drift towards the blockhaus. Rips are often strong and paddle-outs can be long - many choose to sneak out at Le Prevent and paddle around the groyne. Directions: D28 Environment: Plenty of beginners from the Capbreton surf schools on smaller days and plenty of rippers. Regular contest site from local to King of the Groms. Consistent and crowded year-round with little parking on Impasse de la Savanne. The local boulangerie/patisserie is famed for post surf pastries. Surf: General: Just south of Hossegor on the other side of the river, Capbreton is another town built to entertain the thousands of tourists who flock to southwest France in the summer. The main wave, made famous in the early '90s by Tom Curren and the Rip Curl folks, is La Piste. A close-to-shore barrel, it breaks within spitting distance of a few World War II German bunkers.

Though the harbor jetty blocks some of the northwest swell that hits Hossegor, La Piste is all about shorebreak barrels. When it's on, you will be surfing with crowds. And because the wave is so close to shore, the crowd is packed together and can go into a glazed-over tube lust that transcends language. South of La Piste lay a few other tide-sensitive peaks if you don't feel like dealing. Tides: low-medium low Size: head-high to double overhead Wind: E Swell: NW, WNW Bottom: Sand Paddling: Average most days but can be a lot of work when it is pumping. Spot Rating: Lined up right off a jetty. Access: Wind around the harbor, park by the old folks home and walk a little south. Crowds: Crowd Factor: Yes. Put it this way, if you wanted to shoot a Rip Curl Search ad at La Piste these days, you're gonna need some serious Photoshop. Local Vibe: Other than a few confused-looking outsiders, the locals are pretty intense and packed together. Environment: Often polluted. Hazards: Buried bunkers, outrunning the barrel. Season: October-February but gets good year-round.