Drive from Le Penon to Vieux-Boucau. After several kilometres there is a camping place to the left called "Les Oyats". Drive down the road until you reach the end of the road - there will be lots of cars parking there already. Grab your board and walk down to the beach. After walking up the dunes you can see if the spot sucks or rocks. There will be at least two sandbanks generating funny wave. If you are standing on the dune you can see Le Penon to the left.
Best time is usually in the morning, like 8:00am or in the evening from 6pm until darkness. It's a beachbreak so paddle on, duck-dive and surf until your arms ache. Be careful not to enter the "swimmers zone" (between the blue flags), as there is strong current and the lifeguards take their job serious.
Overview
Atmosphere
In the morning the atmosphere was often quite spooky, there was fog and you could barely see a wave or the beach, so I stayed out sitting on the beach. When the first (sun)rays came through and the fog vanished you could see perfect 4 foot lines rolling in - I knew it was worth getting up that early.
General
In the morning lots of working people come to get some motivation for their daily routine (work), so stay nice and let them catch some waves. The people at the morning and evening sessions were either old or absolutely f***ing good! I never saw so many airs and 360s in France before! Later in the day the tourists from the nearby camping places come to invade the beach and present their way of surfing lifestyle on a closing out shorebreak... Some of them were carrying guns (!!!) not to miss any 2 foot waves... The evening sessions are fun because you can surf with 60 year old men doing nothing but smiling and riding their 9-footers.
Edit this page to correct or complete Plage des Casernes.
Just go back from les casernes.. Plenty of swell but I have to say the banks are not very well shaped this year and the crowds are insane.. North of Moliets looked much more appealing..
comment by steve, 2005-07-05 19:36:55
france rules!
me and a mate had this place going off a few times when we stayed here in may 2004. its a great wave! watch out for the gays in the woods, apart from that its a cool place to stay just out of town.
comment by julien, 2004-09-24 14:55:20
J'y passe 2 à 4 mois par an dans le sens où je porte le tee shirt MNS sur cette plage. On a eu la chance d'avoir une gauche magnifique durant cette saison 2004 juste en face du blockaus d'en bas. le plateau devrait marcher encore mieux durant les mois de septembre et octobre.Le gros plus de ce spot, c'est l'ambiance à l'eau. Souvent bien moins de monde qu'ailleur...du coup, moins de prise de tête et plus de respect. cependant, les vagues sont moins puissante et moins creuse qu'à la piste ou la gravière. Mais bon...la gauche ouvre sur un bon 50-70 mètres et ça sur toutes les vagues de la série. Jusqu'au moment où le bancs aura disparut. Alors fonçez rapidos!!
Read - (10) Comments concerning Plage des Casernes.
comment by Anonymous, 2008-08-15 15:59:22