SURFING IN HOSSEGOR!!!!?

This long stretch of scalloped golden sand has earned a reputation as the best beachbreak in Europe and one of the best in the world, all for good reason: tubes. Thick, meaty shorebreak barrels that'll leave you picking sand out of various orifices for weeks after a solid session. There's a huge trench offshore, not unlike Black's in San Diego, so the swell gets focused on the few miles of sand that make up Hossegor. Careful, though -- the tides in France are extreme (they can vary by 20 feet, where California tides will vary 8 feet max) and the sandbank that you surf in the morning will probably be closeout shorepound by lunch. Tide books are key. It's also prone to Atlantic flat spells, so make sure to bring a couple of books and a deck of cards.