La Sauzaie.

La Sauzaie is a reef peak breaking over a seaweed-covered rock ledge on the Vendée coast, producing some of the most consistently hollow and powerful surf in the region. The reef's unique shape funnels energy into both left and right barrels, with numerous take-off slots scattered across the peak — including a notorious super-shallow right section known locally as 'Killer', sitting immediately to the north. The wave reliably runs bigger and with more punch than the surrounding beach breaks, a product of the way the ledge concentrates and amplifies incoming swell. It responds best to W swells in the SW-NW window, handling everything from 0.6m to a solid 3m before maxing out, with the mid-to-high tide window keeping the shallower sections covered enough to ride. The peak shifts constantly, rewarding experienced surfers who can read the boils and backdoor the peak. An NE wind cleans it up perfectly. This is a long-standing contest venue, and the competitive atmosphere on any given swell is palpable. The yellow La Sauzaie buoy and the striking Polynesian totem sculpture 'Le Motaï' serve as reliable lineup reference points from both water and shore. Localism here is real and well-established — paddling out without reading the lineup first is not advised.

Seaweed-covered reef that funnels W swells into hollow left and right barrels.