Lacanau Pro Surfing Competition 2017 bookings

Without a doubt, the easiest way to get to Lacanau is to arrive at the International airport situated just 40km away on the outskirts of the city of Bordeaux. With numerous International and European flights landing here every day you would be hard pushed not to find a convenient flight to suit your needs (have a look at our flight finder to find the right one for you).

Once you have arrived at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport then the best option for onward travel is to hire a car. The airport is conveniently located close to the ring road on the west of the city meaning that the drive to the town of Lacanau is around 40 minutes, with a further 10-minute journey to reach the coastal area of Lacanau Ocean.

You should note that the roads around this part of the Gironde can get very busy so make sure you leave in plenty of time for your return flight and to return your rental car.

The beauty of the Lacanau Pro surfing competition is that this event is open for everyone to watch and enjoy. The weekend will be full of activities and entertainment for the family, including stalls, workshops, skateboarding, rollerblading, yoga and of course food and wine. DJs and live music will keep the party atmosphere going and more importantly celebrate the winners at the end of the competition. 

The Lacanau Pro Village will be there to welcome you during the event and to offer a festive atmosphere for both the competitors and spectators. Alongside restaurants, cafes and various shops and boutiques, there are a variety of events including zumba and Tahitian dancing. Each evening the village will play host to a concert which is open and free to everyone.

As this is a competition in the wilds of the Atlantic ocean each round will be subject to weather conditions, meaning that if you turn up for just a day or two you are not guaranteed to catch all the action. Try checking the weather forecast in advance and keep an eye on the facebook page for event updates.

If International surfing is a new sport to you then it may be useful to know how the scoring works...

A panel of five judges grade each wave that a surfer catches on a scale of 0 to 10. For each wave surfed, the highest and lowest scores are discarded and the surfer receives an average of other three scores. Regardless of the number of waves surfed, only the scores of the two best waves are kept and added together (for a maximum total of 20 points). By retaining only the two best waves surfers are pushed to achieve an exceptional performance on every wave, making it less tactical surfing, and more spectacular.

The judges analyse the following in order to score a wave:

• Commitment and level of difficulty of the wave
• Innovative and progressive manoeuvers
• Combination of major manoeuvers
• Variety of manoeuvers
• Speed, power and "flow"

Luckily, away from the surf competition, you won't be short of things to do in the Lacanau area. This is the main beach for the Bordeaux region and along its length, you will find al sorts of water and beach sports to try out, take part in or just watch. On land, there are a whole host of activities to enjoy, including cycling and golf and plenty of nature parks and natural woodland to explore. 

If you can tear yourself away from the screeching brakes and burning rubber of the Lacanau Pro then there are plenty of other things to see and do in and around the Bordeaux area.