“Hello, I would like to take a kite lesson for next week. “Sorry, we’re full… I can put you on the waiting list eventually.” Since the start of the summer, Cécile Austin Braure has never stopped juggling the schedules. Based in the center of Lacanau (Gironde) and on the beach of Moutchic, its school, Evolution 2, offers various water sports, such as kite surfing, wakeboarding, electric foil and wing foil lessons. [planches qui permettent de voler au-dessus de l’eau], as well as the rental of stand up paddle. On the land side, it also offers courses in all-terrain electric scooters, electric mountain bikes, and even one wheel. And everything is taken by storm.
Cécile Austin Braure from the Evolution 2 school in Lacanau presents the different board sports activities that are a hit this summer, such as wingfoil or electric foil. pic.twitter.com/oeqmrsaJEn
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“For two years, with the pandemic, vacationers have needed outdoor activities, continues Cécile Austin Braure. They want to get some fresh air, even this year when we didn’t have a great time. And what really emerges is everything around the foil. It’s a dream and it’s not that inaccessible. ”An activity that is not given, however, since we run at 110 euros per hour for the electric foil, but which does not stop some holidaymakers. “We feel that budgets for leisure on vacation have been on the rise for two years,” further analyzes the person in charge of Evolution 2.
A new audience that has come to surfing in recent years
The enthusiasm is such that it becomes difficult to “do things unexpectedly” she continues. Including for more traditional activities such as surfing. “This year, I’m refusing everyone,” testifies Romain Lhoste, from the Big Mama surf school in Lacanau. We welcome between 150 and 200 people a day, it’s huge, and I don’t count those who come to hire equipment. There has never been a summer like this, despite the weather which has been average, which shows that surfing is practiced even in case of rain. And almost all the surf clubs in Lacanau are full this summer.
Even if surfing is an activity that has been on the rise for several years, Romain Lhoste confirms that “it has exploded for two years, thanks to a new audience that has arrived. “For him, the analysis of this success is” quite simple “. “We can no longer travel abroad, and among the outdoor activities, surfing does well because it is very accessible, unlike other board sports. We have our regulars, and in addition we get new people who came very little to the ocean so far. We can also add the “JO effect” which contributes to the good image of surfing. “
Vivien, 41, who comes from the Paris region, confirms. “I discovered the surf lessons here in Lacanau in 2019, and now I come back every year. It’s very accessible thanks to the foam boards, and with a little bit of foam it slides on its own. We see surfers of all ages, of all sizes, and the Lacanau spot is really great. Vincent, 56, from Val Thorens, is on vacation in Lacanau for the fourth year. “I come here with my children, and surfing is great because it is an activity that you can practice in a family way, it is not pretentious, there is a very good state of mind. “
“The foil, a completely crazy feeling”
Kite surfing is still a popular activity too. “It’s a discipline that is not that physically demanding, since you have to play with the wind to be able to slide,” explains Cécile Austin Braure. “But this year, we especially have a lot of requests for the wing foil, which is brand new. It is the intermediary between kite surfing and windsurfing. You have a sail that you inflate, and a board with a foil underneath, and thanks to the force of the wind, and therefore the speed you are going to take, the foil will come out of the water and allow you to fly on the water . It’s a completely crazy feeling, and one that pleases a lot. But to learn the wing foil, you need to learn how to manage a foil, and for that we also offer an electric foil (or e-foil), which works with a controller. “
Hugo and Julie, 28 and 29 years old, from Agen, spend their holidays in Andernos, on the Arcachon basin. “We really wanted to try e-foil, an activity that we discovered on social networks, so we looked at where we could practice it in the area, and we came to Lacanau. »And while the instructors thought that the e-foil would only serve as a bridge to the wing foil, it turns out that it is an activity in its own right, which has found its audience.
It remains to be seen whether the success of all these disciplines will be sustained over time. Most professionals think so, but Romain Lhoste is playing it safe. “It’s still correlated with the current context, so we have to anticipate the fact that next year, attendance will perhaps return to a more normal level, especially if we can again travel to the foreigner freely. “