Hughie Vaughan. League of his own. Photo: Bastien Bonnarme/Quiksilver

Four Takeways From A Week At La Nord

Someone will get $10k richer tomorrow.

news // Sep 26, 2026

Words by Pedro Ramos

Reading Time: 4 minutes

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It’s the fourth day of competition at the Quiksilver Festival.

It’s also the least appealing morning of the waiting period. Grey skies, a chance of rain, a big, slightly unruly swell pummelling La Nord, and a collective fatigue among surfers who haven’t had much downtime, in or out of the water, since the festival’s opening night.

Two days ago conditions were perfect but the comp bank was looking a little too straight. The contest was called off, an expression session called on, and up the beach La Gravière had about twenty-five minutes of glory during the right tide, which by now you’ll have seen looping through your feeds.

Eithan Osborne, who’s been sitting in last place in the sleep category for the entire festival, put up a big score in the morning’s first heat: 7.77 for a carve, an alley-oop, and an end section tag to sign off. With “Best Combo” as the day’s theme, the half-French Venturan dressed his surfing accordingly.

With the rising tide, washthroughs were becoming more frequent, and in Quik Fest’s signature disregard for rules, jet-ski assistance occasionally extended into wave catching assistance, with surfers doing step-offs during their heats.

A bit went on today. A lot has happened over a week. Here’s what mattered most.

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The French Do It Better*

One constant through this year’s contest, and every year before it, is that French surfers surf France better. There’s usually a ton of current, quick tidal swings, and shifty takeoff spots, but Joan Duru, Jeremy Flores, Marc Lacomare, Justin Becret, Sam Piter and co. just seem to find the clean, long, scoring rides that everyone else is hunting for. Today was no different and they combo’d their way into 7s and higher like it was any other day’s pre-lunch surf.

The Girls Are Twisting Necks

Maud Le Car, Coco Ho, Macy Callaghan, and Zoe McDougall have been the most consistent surfers all week. On the groomed offshore days, anyone could find a decent wave and settle into its pace. Today they still found the good ones and laid into turns (and sections) with flair and commitment.

Not a make, but a very admirable attempt. Holly Wawn did get one of the highest scoring rides of the event on Day 2, though. Photo: Arthur Picard/Quiksilver

Le Crowd Just Won’t Leave

On sunny days it’s crowded in the water and crowded on the beach. Today the weather offered a convincing excuse to stay in bed. No one took it. By ten in the morning the beach was as full as it’s been on any other day.

The appetite for surfing here is real, almost palpable. Locals have hosted and cherished world class events at these beaches for decades and are very vocal about keeping them here. That energy, this time of year, is felt all over the town and its periphery.

A scene Géricault would’ve loved to paint. Photo: Bastien Bonnarme/Quiksilver

It’s Starting To Feel Real

The tide came in, it glassed off, and Hughie Vaughan dropped into a large one from out the back, initiated with a carve, then a Hawaiian closeout doppelganger of a section that he hit, rode down and came out of many litres of churn. 8.33 was the day’s highest score, and Hughie’s second best of the event after his 10-point Round 3 ride.

By then, past event winning duo Jeremy Flores and Michel Bourez had taken over first on the leaderboard, ahead of Hughie Vaughan and Kash Brown, just before Kash paddled out for his heat. The King of the Groms winner has been one of the in-form surfers of the event, and this was another reminder to watch the Cronulla surfer.

One of Kash Brown’s moments of brilliance today. Photo: Arthur Picard/Quiksilver

And yes, his performance put their team in first place.

Mikey Wright surfed well, and kept people guessing what he’d unleash on the unpredictable sections. Two consecutive laybacks made for a nice combo. That’ll be 7.90, please. Mikey and Clay, one of the event’s favourite teams, haven’t been at their best all week but climbed quite a few spots today. The fireworks may be saved for the final day.

“I think there’s going to be a big shot from this turn,” Jeremy Flores said of Bruce Irons’ lip attack on a set wave out the back. “Jolie turn,” perennial French MC Nicolas Dazet, director of local cult classic Fightoony, shouted into the mic all day, regardless of whether rides had been completed. The beach cheered anyway.