Biarritz: is it really okay for beginners?

We have talked about so many different surf spots around the world, but only recently turned our attention to Europe. It’d be criminal not to talk about Biarritz, the very birthplace of French surfing.

Looking at the surf forecast in January for Biarritz can make you feel nauseous. One day is 0–1ft and another—15–18ft.

biarritz is a town, not a surf spot

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. First things first, Biarritz is not a surf spot per se. It’s a town, a beachfront town in southwest France. Not that far from the Spanish border, only 20 miles and facing west into the Atlantic.

As such, the surf is best September to March according to Surfline. That doesn’t stop Biarritz from being overrun with surfers all year round though.

how surfing arrived in france

According to the Encyclopedia of Surfing, surfing was introduced to France in 1956 by Hollywood screenwriter Peter Viertel. While on location in Biarritz to film The Sun Also Rises, Peter recognized the quality of local waves and sent back to Malibu for his balsa surfboard. Richard Zanuck, son of Twentieth Century Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck, flew out to France with Peter’s Velzy-Jacobs.

Then the locals took to Peter’s board, tried it out and eventually started making their own surfboards. In 1959, the Waikiki Surf Club Biarritz was established and a year later it hosted the first ever French surf contest at Côte de Basques, which is one of the breaks in Biarritz.

côte des basques

Cote de Basque is the most famous of the breaks. It works best mid–low tide and can be beginner friendly size-wise, but not always crowd-wise if you get my drift. And of course, mid–low means exposed rocks and strong lateral currents. So, it’s not like you can have your cake and eat it.

the other breaks

Then you have Marbella / Milady, which is less hyped and more forgiving, both surf condition-wise and people-wise. We also have Grande Plage, which is somewhat unremarkable—but you know, it’s a wave so it gets surfed—and much faster and heavier Les Cavaliers for experienced surfers.

tides, crowds, and reality

If there’s one thing you need to know about Biarritz, it’s that the surf breaks here are very tide-sensitive and can be unsurfable at high tide. It’s best to stick to mid → low.

Okay, there are two things you should know about Biarritz. Biarritz can be good for beginners. It’s literally littered with surf schools—there’s even one that’s been around since 1966! But because it’s France’s premier surf destination, you get a lot of experienced and pro surfers too.

So, proceed with caution. It’s not even that it’s localism per se. There’s just so many people for so much of the sandbank that the locals want to scream: no room at the inn, and honestly I can’t blame them. Do what you’d do at home and surf at the break best for your level. Early mornings. Shoulder season. Smaller days.

Author: The Wipeout Weekly team