Surfing Seignosse & Vieux-Boucau

Beach Break · Best Sep-Apr · 2-8 ft · Crowd 3/5

Clean groundswell, light wind, all tides

Les Estagnots is a beach break in Seignosse, just north of Hossegor, with the same powerful, hollow waves over shifting sand.

It tends to be slightly less crowded than central Hossegor. The banks change with the season, so walk along and check a few peaks. Expect strong shorebreak and rips, like everywhere on the Landes coast. It's best for experienced surfers on a clean groundswell with light wind.

Autumn is usually the best season, with clean groundswell, good banks and water that's still mild. In summer it's often small and busy with holidaymakers.

There's a car park behind the dunes and a few cafés near the beach, and Hossegor is a few minutes' drive south. If the banks aren't good here, check Les Bourdaines to the north or Les Culs Nuls to the south.

Beach Break · Best Sep-Apr · 2-7 ft · Crowd 3/5

Clean groundswell, low tide

Les Bourdaines is a wide, open beach in Seignosse, north of Hossegor. It still has punch on a good day, but with more beach there's more room to find your own peak.

The sandbars change with the swell, so a bank that's good one month may be gone the next. Walk the beach to find the best one. Further from Hossegor town, the crowd is a bit more relaxed. The shorebreak is strong once there's size.

Autumn is usually the best season, with clean groundswell, good banks and water that's still mild. There's a car park behind the dune and the beach is part of Seignosse Océan, with surf shops and cafés a short drive away. If the banks aren't working, Les Estagnots is just south.

Beach Break · Best Year-round · 1-5 ft · Crowd 3/5

Small-mod swell, all tides

Le Penon is the central beach of Seignosse Océan and the easiest one to get to, with the shops, surf schools and cafés right behind the dune.

Like the rest of this coast it's a beach break, and the sandbanks decide everything. It tends to be a little less consistent than Les Estagnots and Les Bourdaines just to the south, but it gets busy when it's on. The rips are strong here, so stay near the flags if you're still learning.

In summer it's the main family beach in Seignosse, with lifeguards and lessons on the gentler peaks. The rest of the year it's a good spot to check first, because everything is close: parking, cafés and board hire.

Beach Break · Best Sep-Apr · 2-8 ft · Crowd 2/5

W-NW swell, E wind, all tides

Les Casernes is the northernmost and most isolated beach in Seignosse, with old bunkers half buried in the sand.

It's the place to go when Les Estagnots and Les Bourdaines are crowded. The banks here come and go, so some weeks it's great and others there's nothing worth paddling for. The rips can be strong. Go with someone, or at least take a good look before you go in.

It's at its best on a clean autumn swell with an easterly wind. In summer there are lifeguards, but few facilities, and the walk over the dune from the car park keeps it quieter than the beaches further south.

Beach Break · Best Sep-Apr · 2-6 ft · Crowd 2/5

NW swell, E wind

Soustons Plage is a wide, very exposed beach between Seignosse and Vieux-Boucau.

It can have good peaks, but it maxes out quickly. A north-west swell helps the waves break in sections instead of closing out, and you need an east wind to keep it clean. The banks move a lot through the year. Watch out for currents and the baïnes, the deep channels in the sand that pull water back out to sea.

Autumn and spring usually bring the best mix of swell and offshore wind. Soustons Plage has a car park, a few cafés and a lifeguard post in summer. On days when it's closing out, Vieux-Boucau, just north, can be more manageable.

Beach Break · Best Year-round · 2-6 ft · Crowd 3/5

NW swell, E wind

The Grand'Plage is Vieux-Boucau's main beach, just north of where the lake drains into the sea.

The outflow and the tides make the currents tricky, so pay attention when you paddle out. Local surfers are regulars on this wave. The upside is that the town is right behind you, so after a session you can walk straight to the bars and restaurants on the beachfront.

It's at its best on a north-west swell with an east wind, and in summer the waves are often small enough for lessons. If the currents here are too strong, the calm lake behind the town is a good place to learn to stand up on a board.

Beach Break · Best Sep-Apr · 2-6 ft · Crowd 3/5

NW swell, E wind

Les Sablères is the beach at the north end of Vieux-Boucau.

When a good sandbank settles here it can produce a high-quality wave, and the locals look after it. Watch for a while before you paddle out and surf it with respect. It's best with a north-west swell and an east wind, and it rarely works above two metres. Out of season it's quiet, with a big beach and a free car park behind the dune.

In summer, lifeguards supervise the beach and the waves are often small. In autumn and winter it's the locals' beach on a good bank. Messanges, just north, is a good alternative when it isn't working.