So go and surf the at the easy access spot? With a pack of frothing fellow joyriders, 30-40 of them?Certain conditions will make most spots on this straight sand coast unridable with the remaining ones packed. Decided for the natural versus human hassles.

Great video! More like the challenges I experience, though often smaller waves

Got to keep the enthusiasm - good effort - nice to be on your own now and then!

Thanks guys. Worth the effort. It does need to be perfect to still be what we need.

For the context:
The coast (where I live) between Bordeaux and Hossegor/Capbreton has sandbars sculpted into "baines" by a constant sideshore current from the north, the vortexes (vortices?) sculpting the coast. This is quite unique and explains the quality of the waves there. (and their always-changing nature)

You can see them in Google earth for instance:



However, SurfingJ lives just south of this zone, the north current doesn't work here because it is stopped by the Capbreton oceanic rift, "Le Gouf", the contact point between the French and Spanish tectonic plaques. So he doesn't have these baines, with the channels to get out (deeper waters + outgoing rips) they provide... so surfers desert SurfingJ place to crowd north of "Le Gouf". Not many people have the courage to tackle these conditions!

Thanks for the overview Colas, and the kind words. Could also get categorized as stupid if I break a board. The day before I had sat among 40 frothers at la nord and never got a wave. Frustration breeds extreme behavior.

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surfinJ said..
The day before I had sat among 40 frothers at la nord and never got a wave.

Yes, I also do not go to "La Nord" if there are other people. As there is a deep channel there, anybody can paddle out, and as it is a world famous break, I find the crowds there too hard to cope with: you can have visiting kooks as well as a pro-level locals, I find it too hard - and dangerous - to anticipate what people are going to do.

I prefer to go have fun alone in very small waves in sheltered banks nearby...

Here is one of my waves captured by the "La Nord" webcam: I was alone because the swell was not big enough to be called a "real La Nord" (but you see 2 surfers going out already). The channel at the left of the picture is always devoid of any waves, even with a big swell, and has a strong outgoing rip.

Wow incredible bars there. Surely with all the banks in the picture you can travel further down the beach, or thru the forest to find a peak?

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surfinJ said..
So go and surf the at the easy access spot? With a pack of frothing fellow joyriders, 30-40 of them?Certain conditions will make most spots on this straight sand coast unridable with the remaining ones packed. Decided for the natural versus human hassles.

Hey mate,What flotation vest are you using? Been thinking about getting one of late as I have had a few near misses.

Nice video! And nice board too.

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slsurf said..
Wow incredible bars there. Surely with all the banks in the picture you can travel further down the beach, or thru the forest to find a peak?

Yes, that's why I can still surf alone there... And with a SUP, a quick paddle to next bank is easy.

Note that all the banks quickly close out when the waves get more than overhead, and that onshore winds are hell because they create insane rips, so it is often not surfable in winter with the depression trains.

The forest is strictly forbidden to any vehicle, so it reduces the crowds drastically. Lots of people have invested in electric fat bikes however to cruise along the beach and reach empty peaks.

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ghost4man said..

surfinJ said..
So go and surf the at the easy access spot? With a pack of frothing fellow joyriders, 30-40 of them?Certain conditions will make most spots on this straight sand coast unridable with the remaining ones packed. Decided for the natural versus human hassles.

Hey mate,What flotation vest are you using? Been thinking about getting one of late as I have had a few near misses.

That is an O'Neil gooru. It is an ok vest for the smaller big days. Adds just a bit of float. The only drawback of the vest is it's ability to get pulled halfway off over my head during a strong spin cycle. That is a terrible situation to be in. That is why I have the Lycra shirt over it to hold it in place. If I feel the need I add an O'Neil kite surf vest that has a zip and belt over it. Way more secure.

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surfinJ said..
So go and surf the at the easy access spot? With a pack of frothing fellow joyriders, 30-40 of them?Certain conditions will make most spots on this straight sand coast unridable with the remaining ones packed. Decided for the natural versus human hassles.

30 minutes trying to get out...you must have looked like Cross-Eyed Mary after that!