Term starts next week so it feels like the summer is over already, a depressing thought. Hopefully the good times will keep going and the conditions keep rolling in. I'm already looking forward to tomorrow afternoon though, hopefully there should be a bit of ground swell and some wind. Since returning from France, I haven't really been able to capitalise on the conditions. I went out briefly on Saturday morning, but with the fluffy winds and strong current wasn't really feeling it. By all accounts later on in the day got pretty big.

When it comes to big waves, I am always surprised how much less daunting they feel on a windsurf board, even a paddle board than a surfboard. Even smallish powerful waves can take hold you down on a badly timed duck dive. I have spent many summers visiting the French West Coast, this time we were staying at a place called 'du pin sec' it's a great place to surf because despite being a beach break, there are several channels that make it reasonably easy to get out, even in a good swell.

A much more mellow, smaller day

Not this year though. In twenty years of visiting the area, the largest swell I had ever seen showed itself. Stupidly I didn't take my camera too the beach, instead just joined everyone watching in awe from the sand dunes, and old battlements. Usually swells that say 8-9ft with a 12-13 second period just close out, the area just can't hold them. However for some reason, against forecast odds there were strong offshore winds, causing the waves to hold up and start to Barrell. This one day, the waves were breaking at triple over head, the few surfers that made it out didn't last long, but when they got to the bottom of the wave they looked minute. The inside broken sections were incredibly intense, that whilst trying to wade out (without a surfboard), I just got taken out, accelerated to the bottom and got the hell spanked out of me. When I finally surface my shorts were round my ankles.

My lack of surfing showed, as did patience. When surfing, I was constantly aware how many more waves and longer rides I would be getting on my paddleboard, soon I binned it. The channels had all been ruined anyway by the huge surf, paddling and duckdiving were getting tiresome.

In all some good windsurfing in the UK, one epic windsurf trip to Morocco and a chilled/hectic beach surfing holiday. Even managed to get through a few books.

Authors: Clyde Waite

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