Month guide · September

Surfing in September

Warm water, empty car parks and the first real groundswells

If you can only pick one month for a surf trip to Europe's Atlantic coast, September is hard to beat. French schools go back on the first of the month, the campsites thin out, and the Bay of Biscay still holds almost all of its summer heat. Portugal, Cornwall and Ireland empty out too once the summer holidays end.

The Atlantic wakes up at the same time. The first long-period swells of autumn start arriving from the west and north-west, and the sandbanks that the summer shaped are often still in good order. Mornings are calm, evenings are long, and you can surf in a light suit from Brittany to Portugal. Further north, the reefs of Ireland and Scotland begin their season, and Lofoten's Unstad starts working again.

At a glance

🌡️ Water: 11 °C Lofoten – 24.5 °C Aegean
The water barely cools from August. Averages are about 11 °C in Lofoten, 12.5 °C in Orkney, 15 °C at Galway and 17 °C off the Isles of Scilly, 17–18 °C at Le Havre and Brest and 18 °C at A Coruña. Biarritz and Lisbon are about 20.5 °C, the Azores 23 °C, Gran Canaria 23.5 °C and Crete 24.5 °C.
🧥 Wetsuit: 3/2 mm south · 4/3 north
A 3/2 mm full suit covers almost every session from the Landes to Portugal. In the Basque Country and the Landes a shorty or spring suit works on warm afternoons, while a 4/3 mm makes long sessions in Brittany, the Channel, Britain and Ireland more comfortable. Scotland and Norway call for a 5/4 mm.
🌊 Swell: First autumn W–NW groundswells
Surf travel guides single out early autumn as the moment the first winter swells reach France while the weather is still summery. Expect a mix of small, clean days and the first proper groundswells that light up the Landes banks, the Basque beaches and Ericeira's reefs. Ireland, Scotland and Norway start their reef season, and the Azores' north coast picks up again.
🌬️ Wind: Morning offshores, afternoon breeze
Light easterly breezes in the mornings blow offshore on the west-facing beaches of the Landes and Gironde, and long offshore days are common in early autumn. A sea breeze often fills in after lunch, so dawn sessions are the ones to aim for.
☀️ Air: Highs 12–27 °C
Average highs run about 12 °C in Lofoten, 14.5 °C in Orkney, 17 °C in Galway, 19 °C in Brest and the Channel, 23 °C in Biarritz, 26 °C in Lisbon and 27 °C in Gran Canaria and Crete. Nights get fresh, so pack a warm layer for the car park.
👥 Crowds: Quiet after the rentrée
The French school year restarts on 1 September, and the beaches empty fast during the week. Weekends stay lively at famous spots like Hossegor, Anglet and Zarautz, especially when a good swell lines up. Crowded reefs like Ribeira d'Ilhas, Fistral and Bundoran's Peak stay busy whenever they work.
🌅 Daylight: ~12.5–13 h everywhere
Mid-month the sun rises around 07:45–07:55 and sets around 20:15–20:35 in Biarritz and Brest; A Coruña runs about 20 minutes later. Thurso and Lofoten still have about 13 hours of light and Las Palmas about 12.5. Room for a dawn and a sunset session.

Where to go

Landes

The heart of autumn surfing in France. The Gouf de Capbreton focuses groundswell onto the Hossegor and Seignosse banks, and morning offshores make the beachbreaks hollow and clean.

Pays Basque

Anglet's beaches catch every swell, Biarritz offers gentle longboard waves, and the reefs further south start waking up on the bigger days. The town life is still in summer mode.

Gironde

Endless sand from Soulac to Cap Ferret, with forest roads that lead to near-empty peaks once the holidays end. Lacanau keeps its competition-grade banks.

Finistère Sud

Autumn brings Brittany's warmest water of the year and smaller crowds than summer. La Torche and the Baie d'Audierne pick up almost every swell.

Galicia Norte

Pantín hosts its pro contest at the turn of August and September, and the Ferrol and Costa da Morte beaches are wide open once Spanish holidays end.

Lisbon coast

Ericeira's reefs come back to life with the first autumn swells. Ribeira d'Ilhas, the most forgiving of them, almost always has something to ride.

Cornwall

The summer crowds leave, the water is about 17 °C and Fistral's autumn season begins, with fast, hollow peaks on a west swell.

Ireland North West

Bundoran's Peak and the reefs of Easkey start their season in September, in water around 15 °C and with long evenings still.

Scotland

Thurso East's season begins as the first north-west groundswells arrive, with about 13 hours of daylight in mid-September.

Azores

São Miguel's north coast picks up the first autumn swells while the water is at about 23 °C, one of the warmest seas on this list.

The 20 best spots in September

  1. Hossegor – La Gravière

    Soorts-Hossegor · Landes · Expert · Beach break · live cam

    Autumn is when La Gravière's heavy sandbar and the first clean west-north-west groundswells meet, with east winds in the morning. It is the reference barrel of Europe: experts only, and very busy on good days.

  2. Seignosse – Les Estagnots

    Seignosse · Landes · Intermediate · Beach break · live cam

    Right next door to Hossegor, Les Estagnots gives long, hollow peaks on the same autumn swells but with a little less intensity. A strong intermediate's alternative to La Gravière.

  3. Ericeira – Ribeira d'Ilhas

    Ericeira · Lisbon coast · Intermediate · Point break · live cam

    Ericeira's long right point over flat rock works on most swells, and September brings back the west to north-west swells it likes. Rides of a few hundred metres on good days; intermediates and up, and crowded most of the time.

  4. Valdoviño – Pantín

    Valdoviño · Galicia Norte · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    Pantín hosts its WSL contest in late August and early September and handles both small and big swells. When the contest scaffolding comes down, the beach is wide open again.

  5. Anglet – Les Cavaliers

    Anglet · Pays Basque · Advanced · Beach break · live cam

    A trench offshore makes Les Cavaliers the biggest, punchiest wave in Anglet, ideal on smaller September swells with a morning east wind. Expect a keen local crowd.

  6. Newquay – Fistral

    Newquay · Cornwall · Intermediate · Beach break

    Britain's best-known surf beach starts its autumn season once the summer crowds thin. North Fistral has fast, hollow peaks on a west to south-west swell with an easterly wind; South Fistral is easier.

  7. Lacanau – Plage Centrale

    Lacanau · Gironde · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    Lacanau's jetties keep the sandbanks fairly stable, so the first autumn swells find peaks on the main beach. Schools still run, so it suits improving surfers too.

  8. Bundoran – The Peak

    Bundoran · Ireland North West · Advanced · Reef break

    Ireland's best-known reef starts its season in September: a powerful peak over a flat ledge, with a long, fast left and a shorter right. Advanced; busy whenever it works, so respect the regulars.

  9. Plomeur – La Torche

    Plomeur · Finistère Sud · Intermediate · Beach break

    Brittany's best-known beach gets waves almost every day, and autumn brings both the warmest water of the year and smaller crowds than summer. A west swell with an easterly is ideal.

  10. Thurso East

    Thurso · Scotland · Advanced · Reef break

    Scotland's best-known wave starts its season with the first solid north-west groundswells: a long, powerful right with barrel sections in front of Thurso Castle. Advanced; it needs a south-easterly and a rising mid tide.

  11. Zarautz

    Gipuzkoa · Beginner · Beach break · 2 live cams

    Three kilometres of open sand pick up nearly every swell, with room to spread out. Zarautz is the home of the Basque surf-school scene, so it works for every level.

  12. Croyde

    Devon and the south coast · Intermediate · Beach break

    North Devon's punchy low-tide beach break comes back once summer ends, with powerful, hollow waves on a west to west-south-west swell. One of the busiest line-ups in Britain.

  13. Biarritz – Côte des Basques

    Biarritz · Pays Basque · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    The birthplace of French surfing is a gentle, rolling wave on the low to mid tide. Warm water and long evenings make it the classic longboard and learner session of early autumn.

  14. Easkey Left

    Easkey · Ireland North West · Intermediate · Reef break

    A classic Irish left by the castle at the mouth of the Easkey river, with a steep take-off, a fast tube section and a long wall. Its season begins in September; north-west swells with a southerly wind.

  15. Sopela – Arrietara / Atxabiribil

    Sopela · Bizkaia · Beginner · Beach break · 3 live cams

    Bizkaia's main surf beach catches any north-west swell at every tide. September brings warm water and fewer visitors on weekdays, although the locals are out in force.

  16. Arrifana – beach

    Aljezur · Algarve · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    A cliff-backed bay south-west of Aljezur, sheltered from the north wind, with peaks at either end for learners and improvers. September is calmer than the summer months, and the water is still warm.

  17. Somo

    Ribamontán al Mar · Cantabria · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    One of the cradles of Spanish surfing, Somo is relaxed and longboard-friendly. A north-west swell of one to two metres with a southerly breeze gives easy peaks for every level.

  18. Santa Bárbara

    Ribeira Grande · Azores · Intermediate · Beach break

    The Azores' main surf beach has several black-sand peaks that work at any tide, and the first autumn swells arrive in water around 23 °C. Busy, but there is usually a quieter peak.

  19. Suances – Los Locos

    Suances · Cantabria · Intermediate · Beach break · live cam

    Below the cliffs west of Suances, Los Locos has a long left, central peaks and a hollow right. It is busy, but September's warm water and long days make it worth the stairs.

  20. Unstad

    Vestvågøy (Lofoten) · Norway · Intermediate · Point break

    The home of Arctic surfing starts its season in September, with west-north-west swells on its left point and right reef. Lofoten still has about 13 hours of daylight, and the water is about 11 °C.

Tips from the line-up

  1. Surf early. Offshore mornings are the rule in early autumn, and the sea breeze often ruffles the beachbreaks after lunch.
  2. Lifeguard cover winds down after the summer season on many French beaches. Check whether a post is still staffed and stay well clear of baïnes, the rip channels of the Gironde and Landes.
  3. Book mid-week. Weekend swells still pull a crowd to Hossegor, Anglet and Zarautz; Tuesday to Thursday is much calmer.
  4. Bring a 3/2 mm suit and a shorty for the south. Pack a 4/3 mm for Brittany, Britain and Ireland, and a 5/4 mm for Scotland and Norway.
  5. Check the banks, not just the forecast. Beachbreaks change with every storm, so walk the beach and watch a few sets before paddling out.

Sources