Capbreton – Le Santocha

Capbreton · Landes · France

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Capbreton – Le Santocha (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/capbreton-santocha.

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Le Santocha, called La Savane by many locals, is Capbreton's main local surf beach, a stretch of sand with some rock between groynes. It still picks up small swells while filtering big ones, making it a good middle option between the exposed southern beaches and the town centre. The waves are fast, rights and lefts, and on good days it can throw barrels reminiscent of La Gravière. It is also used for coastal rescue training.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand and rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Crowded
Season
autumn, winter, spring
Boards
A shortboard or fish.

When it works

✓ A 1–3 m west to northwest swell from mid to high tide on the falling tide, with an east wind.

When it doesn't

✕ Low tide, which exposes rocks, and strong onshore wind.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • crowds
  • rips
  • localism

Best months

January, February, March, April, September, October, November, December

Local tips

Waves breaking in front of the rocks are the fun section, but watch your feet on the lower tide. This is a local beach with some localism, though the mood is good on the best days when everyone is scoring.

Getting there

The free Santocha car park is right behind the beach, with bike parking at the top of the sand. There are no bins, so take your rubbish with you.

History

Santocha was one of the venues of the 2026 French Surfing Championships.

Travel notes

How often it works
It works on most west swells, and the sea wall helps hold the sandbanks. It handles more size than the beaches inside the jetties.
Crowd and vibe
It is a locals' beach with some localism. On the best days the mood is good, because everyone gets waves.
Camping and vans
The town campsite, Camping La Civelle, is about 1 km inland in the forest. Capbreton has a paid motorhome aire nearby. Nearest campsite about 1 km away.
Facilities
The free Santocha car park is behind the beach. There is a beach hut, several surf schools, a lifeguard training school, wheelchair beach access and lifeguards from mid-June to mid-September, but no bins.
Water quality
All five of Capbreton's bathing sites are rated excellent in the official French rating (national open data, 2022).

Ideal conditions

Swell
W–NW best, WSW–N works
Size
1.2–2.5 m offshore swell; starts at 0.6 m, holds to 3.5 m
Period
8 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore ENE–SE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid, high best, on the falling tide
Faces
W (281°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

Nearby spots

All spots in Landes · All spots

Sources