Biarritz - surf spot statistics

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The heart of winter brings the largest and most consistent swell to Biarritz. With average wave heights between 1.3m and 1.8m and periods averaging 11-13 seconds, the North Atlantic delivers powerful, long period groundswells from the NW and WNW quadrants. A higher frequency of southerly to southwesterly winds, driven by passing low pressure systems, provides clean offshore conditions over 40% of the time in most months. This is when Biarritz truly fires, with classic A-frame peaks and long walls stacking up perfectly on the sandbanks.

Fair Surf Season (April & September)

These shoulder months offer a mix of smaller but still rideable swell, averaging 1.1-1.2m with periods around 10-11 seconds. The transition between seasons means more variable wind patterns. While the chance of perfect offshore conditions is lower (around 29%), windows of Southerly winds often coincide with fun sized waves from the NW. It is an excellent time for intermediate surfers to score uncrowded peaks with a good chance of clean shape under sunny skies.

Low Surf Season (May - August)

Summer sees a dramatic drop in both swell energy and wind quality. Average wave heights hover around 0.9m with shorter periods of 9-10 seconds, dominated by local windswell and small NW background swell. The predominant winds shift onshore from the NW and NNW, ruining wave face quality. Ideal offshore winds from the south occur less than 20% of the time. While occasional small, fun-sized waves can be found for a longboard or fish, consistent quality surf is rare. It is a time for beach relaxation rather than chasing barrels.

March: Transitional Bigness

March keeps the winter energy alive with an average swell of 1.6m and a period of 12.2s, still firmly in the powerful range. Swell direction is almost evenly split between NW (40.6%) and WNW (40.3%), meaning plenty of waves wrapping into the bay. However, the wind quality takes a dip to only 36% ideal, as westerly and northwesterly onshore winds increase (W at 11.2%, WNW at 10.6%, NW at 8.5%). The key is waiting for a southerly push behind a cold front – when the wind goes south to southwest, the offshore flow turns on and the waves become pristine. March offers great surf, but you need to pick your windows more carefully compared to midwinter.