Surfing in Mimizan Plage
A guide to surfing in Mimizan
Mimizan is a top spot for learning to surf. In summer, you’ll find a ton of surf schools keen to help you take your surfing to the next level.
Mimizan Plage has 10 km of fine sandy beach with waves rolling in along its entire length. There’s 4 recognised surf spots – La Garluche, Goëlands, Mouettes and Plage Sud and in summer there’s 6 safe swimming zones with lifeguard surveillance.
Surfers of all stripes will find a wave to suit here. Next to the Courant de Mimizan river mouth, the sandbanks tend to break up the surf providing a more sheltered spot. Move up or down the beach away from the river and the Atlantic Ocean rolls in uninterrupted serving up some lovely waves all year round.
Watch this: Surf & Breakfast in Mimizan
Mimizan isn’t just a great surf spot, it’s also a great place for an active holiday. When the wind’s cross-shore, the huge beach lends itself well kitesurfing and land yachting. The pine forest behind the beach is criss-crossed with biking and hiking trails. The fragrant pines do little to hide the unpleasant smell from the nearby paper factory when the wind’s blowing offshore. Three kilometres inland the huge Lac d’Aureilhan offers stand up paddle boarding and kayaking.
In summary, Mimizan is a classic Landes surfing destination – huge beach, consistent waves, hot sun and endless pine forest. It’s hard to beat if you’re looking to get away from it all and get plenty of surfing in at the same time.
The Best Time of Year to go Surfing in Mimizan
The best time of the year for a surf trip to Mimizan could well be July and August. If you’re looking to live the surf lifestyle with nice waves, plenty of sunshine and parties every evening, you need to be here in the summer. For the best mojitos in town, head to La Jamaïque on Rue Casino. Summer is also the best time of year to learn to surf. The surf schools throw open their doors and the water’s nice and warm, and with a few lessons you can make some great progress.
If you’d rather a quiet lineup than an après-surf beach party, May and June and September and October are best. The water temperature hovers between 15 and 20 degrees and the surf is generally a bit bigger and more consistent. Bear in mind though, that outside of the peak summer season it’s pretty quiet, both in and out of the water. If your dates are flexible and you want to get as much surfing in as possible, the shoulder season could be the best time to visit.
Winter brings with it big swells and powerful, hollow waves. When the conditions line up, good surfers will be in their element as Mimizan serves up decent overhead barrels. And, it’s not unusual to have a peak to yourself. It goes without saying that the water’s colder, but you’ll still only ever need a 4/3 mm wetsuit.
Mimizan Plage Surf Forecast
Mimizan surf forecast – surf report and surfing conditions for the next 3 days with swell components including wave height, wave direction and wave period, wind direction and weather forecast.
Mimizan surf forecast courtesy of surf-forecast.com.
Mimizan Plage Surf Spot Guide
1. Mimizan Plage Centrale
Spot type: Beach. Offshore wind: Easterly. Bottom type: Sand. Best tide: Mid tide.
Wave size: 1 to 2.5 m. Swell direction: West, North/ West Lat Long: 44.214321, -1.299781.
A surfer rips a turn at La Centrale | © Flickr – Geoff
Surfer at Mimizan beach | © Flickr – Elodie Ruedas
Powerful waves in Mimizan | © Flickr – Antoine Thibaud
Mimizan Plage is packed with holidaymakers in July and August and quiet the rest of the year. The waves are consistently good but not as steep and hollow as the legendary beach breaks further south. There are quality peaks north and south of the river mouth, but ever-shifting sandbanks make the waves difficult to predict. 3 times world bodyboarding champion Nicolas Capdeville hails from here, which is testament to the quality of the spot. Nicolas now runs the Mimizan surf Academy aimed at helping everyone progress their surfing from total beginners to advanced surfers.
Guillaume’s take:
Mimizan is a classic Landes beachbreak. When the sandbanks play ball, you can get some great waves at any time of year. When everything’s working, a light offshore wind can shape some nice barrels. It can get super busy in the summer, but at any other time of the year you can get wave after wave to yourself.
Mimizan Plage Accommodation
Surf camps, hostels, campsites and hotel accommodation for surfers. Stay near the beach or by the lake.
Booking.com#mimizanplage Instagram Photos
Please leave a comment below if you need specific advice for your surf trip to Mimizan, or if you have any recommendations to help us improve this guide. Happy holidays!
