I had missed the sea for too long.... And so, this weekend, I took the opportunity to return to France, which gave me two beautiful days of windsurfing, in Hyeres (La Madrague) and La Coudouliere (Six Fours Les Plages).

 

Windsurfing, report: Hyeres - Coudouliere, 4-5/10/2025: back to the sea!

 

I always love returning to Hyeres. Many will turn up their noses, considering it a simple spot with little "wave" potential. I feel less and less in tune with this way of thinking...

The idea of ​​a day of windsurfing, in the magnificent natural setting of Hyeres, opens and relaxes my mind. Moreover, if you know the spot well, in certain conditions you can even have serious waveriding sessions, like the ones I had a few years ago at Almanarre, off Le Robinson.

Riding La Madrague, in any case, is always good training, perfecting your maneuvers before a tough day at La Coudouliere, like the one I had on Sunday the 5th...

 

 

 

On Saturday, I arrived in Hyeres in the early afternoon. The forecast called for wind starting at 2:00 PM. When I arrived at the La Madrague parking lot, the usual pleasant view of Hyeres appeared to me, with the azure bay, the beach, and sand dunes illuminated by the beautiful sunny day. The parking lot was full.

In the early afternoon, the wind was light. But instead of rigging the 5.3 and sailing immediately, I wisely decided to rig the Ezzy Wave 4.7 2025 and wait calmly. A check of the latest Arome update revealed that the wind's arrival had been moved to 4:00 PM. I know the spot, and I know how quickly it can change.

And indeed, just before 4:00 PM, a nice strong westerly wind (or rather, WSW) began to blow, and when I entered the sea, the 4.7 was immediately full.

On this trip, partly to optimize van space, I decided to leave the Tabou 3S 96 at home and only brought my wave boards: the JP Magic Wave Pro 89 and the Tabou Da Curve 80. I also made this decision to force myself to test the JP Magic Wave thoroughly and dispel some doubts.

At La Madrague, I got into the water with the JP, set as a thruster with the standard fins. The board was fantastic and comfortable in these conditions, proving to be a truly versatile waveriding board, suitable for South African waves, as well as the chop and waves in the center of Hyeres Bay. The water level was actually quite tidy in the first part of the session, but then became choppy in the second part due to the crowding of riders in the water. I wore a 3/2 wetsuit, given the 22-26°C temperatures. A few riders were still in their swimsuits!

I had a lot of fun, and was also pleasantly relaxed, as expected. It was just what I needed after a busy return from summer vacation. A few friendly chats with the locals, one of whom noted how Italians always have a bottle of good olive oil in their campervan... Check the video of Hyeres session.

After a nice hot shower in the van (a system I patented...) and a pasta to recharge my batteries, I moved to Six Fours for the night, in preparation for the session at La Coudouliere the following morning. The wind picked up significantly during the night, promising a good next day.

 

 

 

After a good night's sleep, I woke up early and arrived at La Coudou around 7:30 a.m., finding one of the last free spots in the spot's parking lot. Indeed, several riders had already entered the water just before 8:00 a.m., at the crack of dawn, and took advantage of truly excellent conditions: strong winds, around 30 knots, and a good NW (side-on) orientation, and waves, at times quite high (2-3 meters).

By the time I'd rigged the Ezzy Elite 3.7 and the Tabou Da Curve 80, the wind had shifted from the NNW and dropped, becoming unstable near Cap Negre, and remaining strong only further offshore. I quickly rigged the Ga Sails 4.2 and re-equipped the JP (again with standard fins), but I preferred to wait before entering the water, so as not to tire myself out needlessly in the unstable wind.

I took the opportunity to finally meet French photographer Luc Pitel, whose magnificent windsurfing and surfing photos I often publish here on Waterwind.it. I also caught up with Corrado from Turin, who was coming out of the water on his 3.4, and had a pleasant chat.

At 10:00 a.m., the wind picked up again.

When the wind comes from the NW at La Coudou, the angle is good for riding the waves, but the intensity is often unsteady, increasing with momentary W rotations and decreasing with N ones.

The first part of the session was pleasant. The 4.2 and the 89 proved to be a pretty good combination, except for a slight overpowering during the gusts. I immediately caught a wave, landing two bottoms. Gradually, I'm becoming more familiar with the side-on conditions at La Coudou. Even in these circumstances, the JP Magic Wave performed well, both in surfing and in jumping. I did my usual series of wipe-outs (see video), as often, in these conditions, I'm still a little too slow, or late, at the cutback. I'm used to the steeper ocean waves and easier winds, side or side-off...

After an hour, I started to lose control. While remaining unstable, the wind, in the gusts, increased even more. Instead of changing sails, I tried just changing board, going for the Da Curve 80, which I had left ready on the beach. It went a little better, having less resistance underfoot, but I was essentially still overpowered. I still stayed in the water for another hour and a half. The second part of the session was a bit physical and tiring, due to the overpowering. Basically, I should have re-rigged the 3.7. Check the video of Coudou Session.

After getting out of the water, I went to buy myself a nice Flan at the spot's patisserie, since I'm a sucker for it, to recharge my batteries, and then I started tidying up the van (and it took me two hours to find my wallet, left in an unusual place - Alzheimer's is progressing...).

After another lull that lasted until after 2:00 PM, the wind picked up again and the spot, in the water, became crowded again, but I decided to try my luck at Carro, hoping that Monday would bring me another session like the memorable one, with side-off Tramontana winds and 3-meter waves, a few years ago. Unfortunately, the conditions didn't repeat themselves (due to a lack of adequate westerly swell, I think). But I made up for it with a magnificent trek in Cassis, in the Calanches natural park.

A la prochaine! Fabio

 

Click here, for the slide gallery taken at La Coudou

(Photos partly mine, partly by Luc Pitel, whom I thank)

Videos of the sessions, asap