As the leaves start to think about falling off the trees, south west France has been enjoying a particularly perfect run of swell and favourable conditions, with back to back swells creating a week long run of epic six to eight foot days at La Graviere. However it’s not all big kegs and high fives. La Grav has a notorious nasty side to her and amongst the epic ones, there have been some super hectic wipeouts. “I was getting back out the back from a wave and I was a little bit late but it looked like a bomb’  says Willy Aliotti, who’s wipeout features at the ten second mark. ‘No one was in the right spot’ he continues- a notably rare scenario during a summer time La Grav sesh, ‘so I went and just ate shit’.  We look forward to seeing plenty more, perhaps less masochistic, highlights from this swell and the many more which will hopefully grace this coastline over the coming Autumn season.

Keen for some French kegs (that hopefully don’t end like these ones) yourself? Then why not join us for a week of surf coaching with pros, fine food and good vibes this September / October. More info here. If you’re into surf photography and want to learn from the best in this blessed part of the world, check this out.