Les Cavaliers

Situated just south of the Adour rivermouth, Les Cavaliers stands as one of the Côte Basque's most consistent and celebrated beachbreaks. This sand-bottom setup delivers rippable, high-performance peaks that often morph into a grinding A-frame, offering hollow, fast lefts and rights that demand respect. Its reputation is well-earned, hosting numerous contests and carrying the weight of local surf history—the wave is intrinsically linked to the legendary La Barre, a once-great wave that fell victim to the concrete-block jetty construction. For surfers seeking a reliable, punchy beachbreak with a pedigree, Les Cavaliers delivers.

Best Surf Season (October - March)

When the North Atlantic storm track awakens in October, the gears shift at Les Cavaliers. The beach's west-northwest exposure lines up perfectly with the dominant W/NW groundswell generated by sequential extratropical cyclones, and average wave heights climb from 1.3m (4-5ft) in October to 1.8m (6ft) by midwinter. Average periods sit in the 11-13s range, giving the swell real power and push. At the same time, a building continental high pressure over Europe feeds more frequent offshore winds from the east/southeast; by December almost half of the time (48%) winds are favorable. Water temps are cool (12-18°C) but manageable in a winter suit, and the combination of size, period, and clean offshore texture produces the most consistent and high-quality surf of the year. A positive NAO phase in particular can lock in the storm track and deliver days of immaculate WNW-NW lines.