European surfing has deep roots in Biarritz and will always be a major part of the town’s unique charm.
Deep roots in surfing
Biarritz Surf Areas
In 1956, Hollywood filmmaker Peter Viertel, worked on an adaptation of Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises in the Basque region. Amazed by the waves in Biarritz he sent for a surfboard from California. Together with locals George Hennebutte and Joel de Rosnay he learned to surf at the Côte de Basque beach and they soon started Europe’s first surf club, The Waikiki.
The sport grew in popularity and within a year Hennebutte started to make the first European surfboards. Today, the surf spirit is everywhere and can be felt in Biarritz’s shops, events, fashion and daily life. In summer and winter, the familiar presence of surfers riding waves is part of the landscape.
Bay of Biscay
The depths of the Bay of Biscay outside Biarritz funnel waves straight into Biarritz which enables surfing here all year round. The town is at the end of a long stretch of sandy beaches from the Gironde Coast to the south of the Landes region. There are a number of good surf breaks in and just outside Biarritz.
Côte des Basques
It was on this beach, situated in town, that surfing in Europe started. The place is popular mostly among longboarders. To the south there are some reefs, especially one called La Mouscariette, that are also worth checking out. The Biarritz Surf Festival is held on the Côte des Basques in July every year.
Grande Plage
Is the most mythical beach in the region. This beach has powerful waves breaking right in front of the town centre. This is where the Biarritz Surf Trophy is held in October every year.
Ilbarritz
The beaches of Ilbaritz are located south of the town centre and feature a number of good reef breaks including Marbelle, Bora Bora and Edouard VII.
Anglet
Anglet is found just north of Biarritz. The long, wide beaches here – Les Sables d’Or, L’Ocean, La Madrague, Marinela and Les Corsaires – provide many great peaks between the jetties that separate these beaches.
Les Cavaliers
Often gets bigger waves than the Anglet beaches, and the tubes here are known to rival those at Hossegor.
Hossegor
This town, north of Biarritz, is where legendary surfer Tom Curren, three time world champion, settled for a couple of years. This long stretch of golden sand has earned a reputation as the best beach break in Europe and one of the best in the world.
Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Guethary
South of Biarritz towards the Spanish border you will find the picturesque villages of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Guethary with a couple of reef and beach breaks.
Mundaka, Spain
Across the Spanish border there are lots of surf spots worth checking out, among them the world famous Mundaka and the beaches of laid back Basque town San Sebastián. For more info about the surfing in the Spanish Basque region – click here.
print