La Torchère

Lège-Cap-Ferret · Gironde · France

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for La Torchère (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/la-torchere.

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La Torchère is an unguarded beach between L'Herbe and Cap Ferret village, reached by a walk through the dunes with views down to the Cap Ferret lighthouse. It is a sand-bottomed beach break with hollow, fast lefts and rights that often works when there is swell, typically 1–2 m sets with nice hollow sections. It is considered fickle, though, as the banks are rarely as well formed as those further north. The waves can be powerful and there are no lifeguards even in summer, so it suits surfers with some experience who want fewer people than at Truc Vert or L'Horizon.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Some company
Season
spring, autumn, winter
Boards
A shortboard or fish suits the fast, hollow peaks; take a step-up in winter.

When it works

✓ A west to north-west swell of 1–2 m with an east to south-east wind on mid to low tide, early in the day.

When it doesn't

✕ When the wind picks up around midday, usually onshore in summer, or on swells over about 2 m when the banks wash out and the current strengthens.

Watch out for

  • currents
  • rips

Best months

April, May, June, September, October, November

Local tips

Start early, as the wind often turns by midday. Currents are often strong and nobody is watching the water, so surf with a friend and check the channels before paddling out. Bring water and food, as there are no shops or snacks near the beach. Old wartime bunker ruins sit in the dunes here.

Getting there

Head for the junction of the Truc Vert forest road and the Avenue de Bordeaux, park along the paved track on the dune side or in the picnic-area car park to the south, and follow the marked path over the dunes, a walk of five to fifteen minutes. The beach has no facilities.

Travel notes

How often it works
Wannasurf calls it regular. It picks up the same west swells as the rest of the Cap Ferret coast.
Crowd and vibe
It is a wild, quiet beach. Wannasurf lists it as empty on weekdays and with few surfers at weekends.
Camping and vans
Camping Sandaya Le Truc Vert is about 4 km north. Nearest campsite about 4 km away.
Facilities
There are no facilities, no shops and no lifeguards, so bring water and food.
Water quality
We found no monitoring point on this beach. The nearest one, Cap-Ferret Océan, about 2.5 km south, was rated good every season from 2022 to 2025, and all five 2026 samples were good.

Ideal conditions

Swell
W–NW best, SW–NNW works
Size
1.2–2.5 m offshore swell; starts at 0.8 m, holds to 3 m
Period
9 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore NE–SE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid best, avoid high
Faces
W (276°)

Live cam

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

Nearby spots

All spots in Gironde · All spots

Sources