A little off the center of Seignosse, tucked into the dunes, between the Penon and the Estagnots. A quieter spot than its direct neighbours.
// Le nom
Officially, you'll never really know. The most plausible lead: the bourdaine, a shrub fairly common in the forests and dunes of the Landes, whose bark was used in pharmacy and whose wood made gunpowder charcoal. Seignosse sits within the Landes forest, and plenty of local place names come from the local plant life. So the beach likely takes its name from this shrub, which would have grown in the dunes before the site was developed in the 1970s. Nothing set in stone, but it's the strongest lead we found.
// The spot
Beach break, positioned to catch north-west swells at medium to long period. Past 12 seconds of period, it saturates, unless you catch a lucky small swell (50 to 70cm) that can barrel perfectly at 1m. In autumn, you sometimes hit a magic week where a very long period gets through anyway and shapes beautiful waves above 1m, hard to predict in advance. Best wind: east, or no wind at all. At mid-tide, hard to get it wrong, even if it's not always the best call. It can work really well at low tide, more rarely at high tide.
Like everywhere in Seignosse, the sandbanks shift, some fast (2 to 4 weeks), others much slower (3 to 6 months). A good bank gets around fast: quiet the first day, and by the next you can forget having it to yourself.
// The zones
The main beach, les Arènes to the south, the Heads, also called le Caprice, to the north. A bit further out, les Tennis, almost part of the Bourdaines but more isolated, plan for a short walk to get there.
// The juice and the baïnes
Seignosse's big sandy plateaus are what make the local surf schools happy: shallow footing far out, whitewater that pushes you along on its own. But those same plateaus create baïnes, the rip currents responsible for deaths on the Landes coast every year. The dominant current runs north to south, which can leave you further down the beach than expected after a session. Check the current direction before you go in, stay in the supervised zones, and never fight a current pulling you out: swim parallel to the beach, never straight for shore.
// Who it's for
Lou Surfou, the Landes' oldest club, founded in 1978, has its clubhouse on the Bourdaines beach. The ESCF is set up here too, billed as one of the best spots on the Landes coast to learn. Two solid options to progress with a coach.
Board Garage delivers straight to the spot, no shop, no detour, boards shaped by local craftsmen. On conditions this changeable, a versatile Mid-Length will often do the job.
Book your board for the Bourdaines →// Did you know?
Le Tube, the biggest concert venue in the Landes, sits with its feet in the sand, right at the foot of the dune. In summer, head to its small terrace for a sunset drink with a soundtrack included. Every year since 2017, the venue also hosts the main stage of the Little Festival: several days of electro DJs back to back, over 12,000 festival-goers.
Watch the webcam →// Practical info
GPS: 43°41'51.3"N, 1°26'21.1"W
Since the last car park renovation, finding a spot has become a nightmare. Arrive before 11am if you don't want to circle for hours.
On the beach, if you need a snack, there's the beach hut, and sometimes small carts selling doughnuts, ice cream or drinks.