Ride the Empty Waves of Seignosse: A Student Surf Camp in the Landes Forest

A typical day at the Ocean Shelter starts with breakfast at the guest house, then you either grab your board and walk the 20 minutes through the forest to the beach for a free surf, or you get picked up for your lesson. Lessons are run with a local surf school about 4 km up the beach, and they'll drive you there and back. If you're on the guided surf package, you'll pile into a van with a handful of others and go looking for the best waves of the day — checking different spots depending on swell and wind. That's not a formal lesson, it's more like having someone who knows the coast show you where to paddle out, how the lineup works, and when to hold back.

Lunch is packed to-go so you can eat on the beach or between sessions. Dinners are back at the accommodation, and there's a snacks table that stays stocked between meals, plus all non-alcoholic drinks included. Alcohol is available but you pay for it yourself. Evenings are usually group stuff — camp games, surf theory sessions, surfskate lessons on the flat ground, or just hanging out in the hot tub. Yoga runs a few times during the week, usually in the late afternoon or before dinner.

The surf levels they cater for are genuinely broad. Bloody Beginner is for people who've never stood on a board. Beginner is for anyone still riding whitewash. Intermediate means you're catching green waves and want to start turning. Advanced is for people who can duck dive and do basic manoeuvres and want to improve their top turn. This year there's also a Guided Surf option capped at 8 people, only for intermediate and advanced surfers, where the group drives around looking for the best conditions. All the free surf at the beach near the house works for any level — it's just a question of picking your moment.

What separates this from a commercial camp is the setup. It's a non-profit association, staffed by volunteers, and the camp has been running long enough that a lot of people come back year after year. Week 1 is deliberately unstructured — no fixed schedule, join what you want, spend the rest on the beach or exploring Hossegor. Week 2 is the opposite: organised group events, a set timetable, and the camp party at the end. You can book either week on its own, or both together.

The location helps. Seignosse sits in the Landes forest, and the walk to the beach is genuinely nice — pine trees, shade, birds. Hossegor is a short drive north if you want surf shops and cafés, and there's an outlet village nearby for a rainy afternoon. The accommodation has a pool, which gets used for duck-dive practice as much as swimming, and a hot tub that tends to get busy right after the second surf of the day.

What's included

- Accommodation in guest houses or glamping - All meals (breakfast, lunch to-go, dinner) - Snacks between meals - All non-alcoholic beverages - Surf lessons or guided surf sessions (depending on package) - Surf equipment (depending on package) - Return bus trip from Switzerland (Camp Week packages 1-3) - Camp shirt (Camp Week only) - Yoga sessions - Surfskate lessons - Surf theory sessions - Camp games and activities - Official camp party

What's not included

- Alcoholic beverages - Flights or travel to France (unless on round-trip package) - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Optional excursions - Meals outside the camp