It's the height of summer in Europe, but a deep low pressure provided Fall like waves to all its premier waves over the weekend. Hossegor was off the hook, Supertubos was special and Nazare bared its teeth for the first time in months.
The unusual swell came courtesy of a double-centred low pressure system that formed west of Ireland. It moved slowly south to send waves spiralling down through the Atlantic to France, Spain and Portugal.
In France that storm broke a typical recent run of small summer swells that had been present for most of August. Hossegor saw double overhead waves detonating on its primed sandbanks at Le Graviere and Les Cul Nuls.
Saturday was almost borderline too big for the banks and it took the best surfers and some petrol assistance to crack the code. Locals Benjamin Sanchis, Mikey Picon, Laurent Pujol and Paul Laborde were a few of the surfers utilising jet skis to step off into the grinding sand barrels.
Further south Nazare sprang to life for the first time in months. Many of the big wave surfers based full-time in the Portuguese big wave spot could finally take time out of their intense training drills to enjoy what could be the start of a long big wave season.
Light northerly winds didn't make for ideal conditions, but with 40-foot faces too difficult to paddle, recent Performer of the Year winner Justine Dupont, as well as Pedro Scooby, Nic Von Rupp and Sebastian Stuednter were all quick to enjoy a summertime big wave session.
While the northerly winds caused some havoc at Praia de Norte, they were a more favourable direction for the Portugal's other most famed break of Supertubos. Under blue skies and high temperatures a host of local and traveling surfers revelled in the thumping tubes.
CT surfer Leo Fioravanti, who is based in Hossegor but has a house in nearby Ericeira, was on hand to make the most of the conditions for a training session with his coach Richard "Dog" Marsh. Fellow Italian Roberto D'Amico had also made the journey from the Mediterranean Sea and scored a bomb.
By the time weekend was finished the storm has disintegrated and the swell had dropped. However for those that scored it was a first taste of Fall and a nice reminder that Europe's prime surf season is now just around the corner.
Summer Storm Lights Up Europe's Premiere Breaks
Ben Mondy
It's the height of summer in Europe, but a deep low pressure provided Fall like waves to all its premier waves over the weekend. Hossegor was off the hook, Supertubos was special and Nazare bared its teeth for the first time in months.
The unusual swell came courtesy of a double-centred low pressure system that formed west of Ireland. It moved slowly south to send waves spiralling down through the Atlantic to France, Spain and Portugal.
In France that storm broke a typical recent run of small summer swells that had been present for most of August. Hossegor saw double overhead waves detonating on its primed sandbanks at Le Graviere and Les Cul Nuls.
Saturday was almost borderline too big for the banks and it took the best surfers and some petrol assistance to crack the code. Locals Benjamin Sanchis, Mikey Picon, Laurent Pujol and Paul Laborde were a few of the surfers utilising jet skis to step off into the grinding sand barrels.
Further south Nazare sprang to life for the first time in months. Many of the big wave surfers based full-time in the Portuguese big wave spot could finally take time out of their intense training drills to enjoy what could be the start of a long big wave season.
Light northerly winds didn't make for ideal conditions, but with 40-foot faces too difficult to paddle, recent Performer of the Year winner Justine Dupont, as well as Pedro Scooby, Nic Von Rupp and Sebastian Stuednter were all quick to enjoy a summertime big wave session.
While the northerly winds caused some havoc at Praia de Norte, they were a more favourable direction for the Portugal's other most famed break of Supertubos. Under blue skies and high temperatures a host of local and traveling surfers revelled in the thumping tubes.
CT surfer Leo Fioravanti, who is based in Hossegor but has a house in nearby Ericeira, was on hand to make the most of the conditions for a training session with his coach Richard "Dog" Marsh. Fellow Italian Roberto D'Amico had also made the journey from the Mediterranean Sea and scored a bomb.
By the time weekend was finished the storm has disintegrated and the swell had dropped. However for those that scored it was a first taste of Fall and a nice reminder that Europe's prime surf season is now just around the corner.
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