France Is So Back

Waves can be romanticized.

When expectation outpaces reality at some high-profile surf spots, they enter a mythological state wherein the outlier is expected to be the mean. We’re prone to watching the all-time day, not the average days that outnumber it. 

With notorious tide swings, cruel rip currents, dynamic sandbars and savvy local crew, Hossegor is a hard-won prize. Not to mention, this winter France endured a two-month never ending storm that rendered the entire coastline utterly unsurfable. There’s a reason its beachbreaks got labeled as one of the world’s most overrated waves. 

But then months like March happen. It’s been one of those rare instances where every factor has aligned in Hossegor for weeks on end. The swell, tide and wind have shaken hands, signed a blood pact and delivered some of the better days southwest France has had in years. 

But according to local filmer Ripitup.tv, March 18th might have been the best of the bunch.

The result: roping offshore barrels at La Nord on low and thick caves La Gravière on high. And of course, plenty of surfers rising to the occasion. Quik France czar Miky Picon got on the ski and coasted into double-overhead cones. Stab Highway Europe workhorses Sam Piter and Kyllian Guerin clocked in for paddle shifts. Challenger Series/freesurf dual threat Charly Quivront managed to get more tube time on one wave than he did on the entire 2025-26 CS combined (Pipe included). 

Despite their general Frenchness, Hossegor surfers deserved this moment. If you feel your local is due for its day of the season/year/decade, send some good karma forward by pressing play.