Next year for the summer hols im thinking of goin to Lacanau-Ocean in the location mentioned in the title to this topic. I was just wondering if anyone has been there, and if they could give me any advice.

I'd like to know things like:
*How powerful is it during summer?
*Are there any less crowded beaches in that area?
*What's the average wave height in the summer?
*Is it dangerous, eg. rips/currents?
*Is it alright for a beginner/intermediate sponger?
*And are there lifeguards patrolling in the summer?

Cheers, for any help/info you can give me.

Airborne

Airborne,

Never been in the area, nearest I've been in in the Basque Country in Spain - Mundaca, etc. - but I do have a good tip.

How about you invest on the Stormriders guide to Europe or even the World Edition. That or see if your local library has a copy - it's surprising what you can find in them.

So buy it or copy the pages of the relevant sections.
That should give you a good insight into the place.

You'll learn about the various breacks, what tide their best at, what swell makes them work, and a few other tips like how to find them and what wetsuit to take.

I've found the gide is great for the first steps to an unknown place. From there in you'll discover a lot more by meeting the locals and seeing a the places.

Hope it helps,

Bandit

not hugely dissimilar to where you went around hossegor, though the waves are a little less powerful and lack the variety around hossegor, also I found the waves there closed out more than hossegor waves, though that may have been the banks at the time

Cheers guys for your replies, but:

1) Hi Mexican Bandit, i already have the sormrider guide to europe...its great, i just wanted to know if anyone had any personal experience during the summer there and how crowded it really is...thanks anyway.

2) Hi Bucksi, the problem is i didn't book the holiday to Hossegor this year, we changed it to the vendee, so i can't really compare the waves from Hossegor to Lacanau...hopefully the waves won't be too powerful for me, once again cheers though.

Does anyone else have any experience around that area, keep posting.

hi just come back from 3 weeks of heaven ;if you kitesurf that is!
huge beach ar jullouville ,by grande ville normandy,park up on the beach with the van.
st jean du mont west of nantes park up behind the denviere plage.
just past vannes then west and turn down to a penninsulal to quiberon( spell?) park up at puolharden(spell) that is the narrow section between easterly bay opposite carnach and then the other side for westerlys.again park up in the dunes.
I WILL BE BACK NEXT SUMMER!!!