Guethary

Surf Guide

The wave at Guethary can be quite deceiving. From the park benches at the west end of town, you look out at what seems to be a clean and mushy right-hand peak breaking into a clearly marked channel, as if Sunset Beach moved to San Onofre. But reality kicks in mid-paddle as you start to realize it's out there.The outside peak is a few hundred yards from the rocky shoreline and it shifts around, turning those peaks that seemed so easy and makeable from the cliff top into roguish A-frames stalking around the lineup just waiting to catch you inside. And if you try to go left on a big day, be prepared to inhale a whole bunch of Atlantic Ocean.Guethary is all about long, drawn-out bottom turns and swooping cutbacks and carves. Like Sunset, it's more of a thinking-person's wave, and the lineup tends to reflect that level of salt-watery sophistication.After the initial big bottom turn/cutback, the wave will either back off again, allowing another carving combo, or begin to wall up across the bay and demand some serious high speed lines toward the inside section. When it connects properly, you'll be using more of your rail in one wave than you would in an entire session at Hossegor.