Baie des Trépassés.

Baie des Trépassés sits inside a sweeping, cliff-fringed cove at the tip of Cap Sizun, facing almost directly into the Atlantic. The break is a sand-bottomed a-frame that catches swell from a wide SW-to-NW window, generating long walls - up to 100m on good days - that roll across the bay with surprising speed. A well-covered bottom and slopey power make most waves forgiving enough for intermediates, but the north end of the bay changes character at high tide, where a submerged rock wrings out faster, hollower barrels that call for a quicker reaction. Optimal size sits in the 0.6-1.5m range on a small W swell at low tide, when shape is cleanest and the rip currents are most manageable. The bay's name translates as 'Bay of Death,' a reference to both its maritime history and its notoriously cold water - consistently the lowest sea temperatures in Finistère, requiring a serious wetsuit even in summer. Entry is straightforward from the beach, but the offshore rips and super-fast lateral currents demand respect; study the water before committing. On small-swell weekends the lineup fills quickly, with waves spread across enough of the bay that most abilities can find space, though the best peaks draw a tight cluster.

Hundred-metre walls peeling across sand where the Atlantic meets Brittany's cliff edge.