Contis Plage

Saint-Julien-en-Born · Landes · France

Live cam and today’s forecast: the live surf cams and the current surf forecast for Contis Plage (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 watch the cam and check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/contis.

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Contis is a small resort with a long, undeveloped beach, split in two by the mouth of the Courant de Contis. The most surfed banks are around the river mouth and up toward the old blockhouse to the north, and there is room for plenty of people along the rest of the beach. It is a sandbar break with lefts and rights that suits all levels on small days, with a lifeguarded zone and a surf school in summer. Above about 1.5 m it tends to close out.

Level
Beginners
Break
Beach break, sand
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
autumn, spring, summer
Boards
Anything from a foam board to a shortboard, depending on size.

When it works

✓ A 1–2 m northwest swell around mid tide with an east-northeast breeze.

When it doesn't

✕ Onshore wind, or a swell over about 2 m that closes out the banks.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • currents

Best months

April, May, June, July, August, September, October

Local tips

Climb the dune first and look for the baïne with the best-shaped bank beside it; the channels here change through the year. The blockhouse to the north and the area by the courant mouth hold the best banks, but they are also where the crowd gathers.

Getting there

About 10 km from Saint-Julien-en-Born on the D41; follow the main street to the seafront road. Free car parks, toilets, showers and a lifeguard post are in the village by the beach.

Travel notes

How often it works
This open beach break gets both distant swells and wind waves. It is best on a northwest swell and has waves most of the year. It closes out when waves get much bigger than head high.
Crowd and vibe
Forecast sites say it is rarely crowded. Wannasurf users report busy summer weekends near the bunker and the river mouth. Locals are mostly described as friendly, though one listing mentions localism on the best sandbanks.
Camping and vans
Camping Lous Seurrots is beside the river, about 500 m from the sea. Camping Les Dunes de Contis, in Saint-Julien-en-Born, is a few kilometres inland. Nearest campsite about 0.5 km away.
Facilities
The small village behind the beach has free car parks, toilets, showers, a few cafés and surf schools, and lifeguards in summer.
Water quality
The Contis bathing site is rated excellent in the official French rating (national open data, 2022).

Ideal conditions

Swell
WNW–NNW best, WSW–N works
Size
1–2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.6 m, holds to 2.5 m
Period
8 s minimum, best from 11 s
Wind
Offshore ENE–SE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid best
Faces
WNW (282°)

Live cams

Cams © their operators, shown from the operator's own feed.

In the guides

Nearby spots

All spots in Landes · All spots

Sources