Beach

both

Level 5/10

La Nord

Lacanau, France

🌀Strong rips👥Crowded

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La Nord is Lacanau's contest venue—a quality beachbreak that has hosted the Lacanau Pro since 1979, making it one of Europe's longest-running surf competitions. The wave offers punchy, performance-oriented walls that work across a range of conditions, though it rarely reaches the raw power of the Hossegor zone to the south. The town's surf culture runs deep, with generations of French surfers cutting their teeth on these banks. When it's on, La Nord delivers legitimate QS-level waves.

La Nord surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today4

Poor

0.5mWNW@15s

9km/h

0.5m@15s

9km/h

Thu5

Firing

0.9mWNW@13s

8km/h

0.9m@13s

8km/h

Fri6

Good

0.8mWNW@11s

6km/h

0.8m@11s

6km/h

Sat7

Good

0.6mWNW@9s

14km/h

0.6m@9s

14km/h

Sun8

Poor

0.5mWNW@10s

10km/h

0.5m@10s

10km/h

Mon9

Poor

0.8mSW@4s

12km/h

0.8m@4s

12km/h

Tue10

Poor

0.7mWSW@6s

17km/h

0.7m@6s

17km/h

Wed11

Poor

0.9mWSW@8s

17km/h

0.9m@8s

17km/h

Thu12

Fair

1.8mW@10s

11km/h

1.8m@10s

11km/h

Fri13

Poor

0.0mN@11s

9km/h

0.0m@11s

9km/h

Groomed 5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's ConditionsToday's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 9 km/h · PM 9 km/h · Tide at 5am (0.7m)

Swell

0.5m

WNW(287°)

Score: 3/25

Period

15s

Groundswell

Score: 25/25

Wind

9km/h

E(100°)

Score: 25/25

Weather

8°C

0.0mm30%

First light 7:17amSunrise 7:47amSunset 5:49pmLast light 6:19pm

Windswell

0.1m@2s

Secondary

0.2m

Confidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell0.5m @15s WNW in window

Wind9 km/h E offshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross Onshore

Showing forecast for today · all day

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 7:17–9:46am · risingStrike window: 2:38–4:49pm · droppingIdeal tide: 0.8–2.2m

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

°C

5°

3°

9°

13°

11°

7°

10°

14°

12°

6°

13°

16°

13°

6°

11°

14°

12°

9°

11°

17°

19°

16°

12°

14°

20°

21°

19°

16°

19°

23°

22°

17°

18°

19°

21°

20°

18°

15°

17°

15°

11°

12°

13°

2m1.0

sec

16s

15s

14s

12s

11s

10s

11s

swell

windkm/h

9g17

9g19

10g25

8g21

10g25

7g13

9g18

9g23

7g19

6g13

9g14

8g13

5g11

5g13

5g9

12g18

13g22

14g25

15g28

14g25

12g23

11g23

9g23

9g22

14g26

13g24

11g23

11g24

12g26

14g27

18g34

17g36

16g41

16g44

16g46

23g44

22g47

18g48

13g44

12g37

17g35

13g36

11g36

9g33

4g29

8g18

9g19

10g21

10g23

9g26

tidem

5:43am0.7m

12:24pm3.1m

6:26pm0.4m

1:00am3.0m

6:45am0.5m

1:18pm3.2m

7:14pm0.2m

1:48am3.1m

7:31am0.2m

2:06pm3.3m

7:57pm0.1m

2:32am3.3m

8:13am0.1m

2:49pm3.4m

8:34pm0.0m

3:08am3.4m

8:52am0.0m

3:28pm3.5m

9:11pm0.1m

3:42am3.5m

9:30am0.1m

4:00pm3.5m

9:47pm0.1m

4:12am3.5m

10:06am0.1m

4:31pm3.4m

10:22pm0.3m

4:41am3.5m

10:43am0.2m

5:01pm3.3m

5:08am3.4m

11:19am0.3m

5:30pm3.2m

Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

5:43 am

Low · 0.66m

12:24 pm

High · 3.08m

6:26 pm

Low · 0.38m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction16/25

Swell Size3/25

Swell Period25/25

Wind25/25

Raw Score69/100

Adjustments

🌊 Tide+1

💨 Gusty Wind-3

🚫 Undersized Capmax 44

Adjusted Score67/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score44

🌊 Partly in the tide window

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to BOD, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell0.5m @15s WNW in window

Wind9 km/h E offshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross Onshore

Showing forecast for today · all day

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Spot Details

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: WNW (300°)
Direction range: 270° - 340°
Size range: 0.6m - 3m
Ideal size: 1.7m - 2.4m
Height multiplier: 0.97×
Ideal period: 13s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: E (100°)
Offshore range: 60° - 140°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: mid
Optimal range: 0.8m - 2.2m

Water temp

17°C

Wetsuit

3/2mm fullsuit

Difficulty

5/10

Crowd level

9/10

Access: Easy beach access. Contest venue infrastructure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of wave is La Nord?

La Nord is a beach break in Lacanau, France, with peaks that run both left and right.

What swell works best at La Nord?

La Nord picks up swell from the W round to the NNW, and it's best when it's coming straight out of the WNW. It starts working at around 0.6m and handles up to about 3m, with the sweet spot around 1.7 to 2.4m. Period matters too: aim for 13s or longer, as anything under 9s tends to be weak. These are the numbers our scoring uses, so treat them as a guide rather than a promise.

What wind is offshore at La Nord?

An E wind is dead offshore at La Nord, and anything from the ENE round to the SE keeps it clean. The morning is typically the best window, roughly 6am to 10am. Light winds from other directions can still be fine; strong offshores can make it hard to get into waves.

What tide is best at La Nord?

La Nord is at its best around mid tide, roughly 0.8m to 2.2m on the local chart.

When is the best time of year to surf La Nord?

The most reliable run of swell at La Nord comes Sep to Nov, through the northern autumn. There's a second window in Apr to Jun too. Hosts Lacanau Pro in August. Autumn best for quality.

How cold is the water at La Nord?

The water at La Nord averages around 17°C, so you'll want a 3/2mm fullsuit. It shifts a few degrees through the year, so check the season before you pack.

Is La Nord good for beginners?

It's more of an intermediate wave, rated 5/10 for difficulty, so newer surfers are best off sticking to the smaller days. It gets busy (crowd 9/10), so mind the pecking order. Powerful rips. Very crowded during contest season.