View the Break Map for Capbreton

Just south of Hossegor on the other side of the river, Capbreton is another town built to entertain the thousands of tourists who flock to southwest France in the summer. The main wave, made famous in the early '90s with Tom Curren and the Rip Curl folks is La Piste, a close-to-shore barrel that breaks within spitting distance of a few circa World War II German bunkers. Though the harbor jetty blocks some of the northwest swell that hits Hossegor, La Piste is all about shorebreak barrels. Leave the open ocean hell paddles to the socially dysfunctional. When it's on, you will be surfing with crowds. And because the wave is so close to shore, the crowd is packed together and can go into a glazed-over tube lust that transcends language. If you can't whistle, learn to say "Oi!" really loud. South of La Piste lay a few tide-sensitive peaks if you don't feel like dealing. -- Marcus Sanders

Best Tide: low-medium low Best Swell Direction: west-northwest Best Size: head-high to double overhead Best Wind: east Perfect-O-Meter: 8 (1=Lake Erie; 10=Jeffreys Bay) Bottom: sand Ability Level: beginner-advanced Bring Your: shortboard, medium gun Best Season: August-November Access: wind around the harbor, park by the old folks home and walk a little south Crowd Factor: Yes. Put it this way, if you wanted to shoot a Rip Curl Search ad at La Piste these days, you're gonna need some serious Photoshop. Local Vibe: Other than a few confused-looking Germans, the locals are pretty intense and packed together. Bicep Burn: 5 (1=1ft Waikiki; 10=15ft Ocean Beach) Poo Patrol: 8 (1=clean; 10=turds in the lineup) Shark Danger: 3 (1=none; 10=bring an iron cage)

There are a few places at the north end of town that are predictably touristy (i.e., expensive and mediocre), but if you head pretty much straight east from the bunkers, you'll find the biggest Supermarche you'll ever need.

Feral van-dwellers like the north end of the beach, or if you're in a paying mood, go back up to Hossegor. There are two campgrounds near Hossegor, both just east of the lake: Camping du Lac, around 60 FF per night (05 58 43 53 14, www.camping-du-lac.com) and Municipal la Foret for around the same price (05 58 43 75 92). It's actually probably better to stay up in Hossegor and come down when it's bigger, but Capbreton's tourist office (05 58 72 12 11, www.tourisme.fr/capbreton) would be happy to set you up in a local hotel. Or try

Stroll through the harbor and check out the boats or drink yourself paralytic with cafe creme, vin rouge or both. If you're really bored, you can go back up to Hossegor and look at surf videos in one of the many surf shops. If you feel like educating yourself, you can check out the Ecomusee de la Mer (sea museum) right by the casino.

All are a couple of miles north in downtown Hossegor, though there is the Capbreton Surf Club (05 58 72 33 80), if you need some wax or surf lessons.