Saint-Jean-de-Luz – Grande Plage

Saint-Jean-de-Luz · Pays Basque · France

Live cam and today’s forecast: the live surf cams and the current surf forecast for Saint-Jean-de-Luz – Grande 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/saint-jean-de-luz.

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The Grande Plage sits inside the bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, protected by three breakwaters, and is usually flat. Only when a large swell runs into the bay do small, soft waves appear, including a left-and-right peak in the middle and the long, easy 'passes' wave, which suits longboards. It is a beginner and longboard option on storm days rather than a regular surf spot.

Level
Beginners
Break
Beach break, sand
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Some company
Season
autumn, winter
Boards
A longboard or SUP.

When it works

✓ A 3.5 m+ west-northwest swell on the open coast, from low to mid tide, with almost any wind thanks to the shelter.

When it doesn't

✕ Normal swells, which never get past the breakwaters.

Watch out for

  • boats
  • crowds

Best months

January, February, November, December

Local tips

Watch the swell forecast rather than the beach: it needs a big day outside. Keep away from the harbour channel and boat traffic.

Getting there

In the centre of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, in front of the old town, with paid town car parks a few minutes' walk away.

Travel notes

How often it works
The bay is closed off by sea walls, so it needs a very big swell outside to get waves. Most days it is flat.
Crowd and vibe
A family swimming beach. On the rare surf days, a few locals and longboarders paddle out.
Camping and vans
Camping Juantcho on the Corniche road is about 2 km away, and the Erromardie campsites are about 2.5 km north. Nearest campsite about 2 km away.
Facilities
The town centre has cafés, restaurants, shops, paid car parks and lifeguards in summer.
Water quality
Saint-Jean-de-Luz's bathing sites were rated excellent or good in the national dataset (2022 rating). The bay is closed in, so water quality can drop after heavy rain. Check the Kalilo app.

Ideal conditions

Swell
WNW–NNW best, W–NNW works
Size
3–5 m offshore swell; starts at 2.5 m, holds to 7 m
Period
12 s minimum, best from 15 s
Wind
Offshore E–S; handles onshore up to 25 km/h
Tide
mid best
Faces
NW (310°)

Live cams

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

Nearby spots

All spots in Pays Basque · All spots

Sources