- WSL / Laurent Masurel
- WSL / Laurent Masurel
A look at last year's finals in Lacanau.
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An unstoppable Joan Duru takes out the 2016 Médoc Océan Lacanau Pro in great conditions.

Mid-August, Lacanau. It's a tradition, and has been for over 30 years. The Caraïbos Lacanau Pro has been named a lot of things over the years but what remains is the popularity of the event, bringing surfers from all over the planet to the central beach.

Crowds are huge when the weather plays nice and surfers like the opportunity to show their skills to the thousands of people watching and cheering from the beach. It's also a matter of walking in the paths of most legends of our sport, namely Wayne Bartholomew (winner in 1980), Tom Curren (86), Kelly Slater (94) or more recently Jordy Smith (07) and Gabriel Medina (11).

crowd in Grande plage of Lacanau.Lacanau16 Massive crowds watching the finals in 2016. - WSL / Laurent Masurel

While the 1,500 QS points on offer for the winners may not be a keeper result by years end, the Caraïbos Lacanau Pro comes at a perfect time in the season to start building momentum towards the bigger events coming right up.

Joan Duru (FRA) .Lacanau16 Joan Duru giving the spectators exactly what they came for. - WSL / Laurent Masurel

Last year's winner Joan Duru is a perfect example, his victory in Lacanau set him on a path to clinch his first-ever Championship Tour spot with a couple more big results in Pantin, Cascais and Hawaii at the end of the year.

The event's village is also full of fun day and nighttime entertainment, both in and out of the water with surf and skate lessons, fitness courses, food stands and music acts every night on the main stage.

Sky view of the competition site, shot from a Ferris wheel nearby. Aerial view of the village. - WSL / Laurent Masurel

Check out all the photos, videos, LIVE webcast and updates on this page.

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