Surf: A long right with a radical, sucky take-off wraps around the jetty on the north side of the bay. It then runs off through a series of wall to shoulder sections as it refracts around the reef for quite a distance to Inside Sainte-Barbe. Here the tide affects the ride heavily and some fat bouncy lefts start to appear before fading out. Much closer to shore is Les Flots Bleus, a mini wave well-suited to kids and beginners. It’s very rare for the fashionable beach of St Jean de Luz to be worth riding. More N in the swell penetrates better, any NE to S wind will do and a dropping tide keeps it interesting. Environment: The paddle-out is long to the jetty and there can be currents that slow progress. Water quality may be suspect after rains, which may coincide with the stormy swells needed to properly light-up this break. So when the other reefs are maxing, everyone ends up here, with experts at the jetty, intermediates at Insides and beginners at Les Flots Bleus.