Kerloc'h

About

One of the best spots of the Crozon peninsula during heavy (winter) swells. Get it on a cold morning, just after a low-pressure system has passed over Brittany. With a North wind and a heavy marsh-runoff, this is a GOOD pointbreak : not too heavy but with reliable waves. If you don't know what kind of waves to expect, take a three board quiver : 6'4", 7' gun and a longboard.

Atmosphere:
Sometimes crowded, this spot is one of the rares anybody can see from the main road. This place is well-known among local surfers to be the place to be on biggest swells. Thought, it never gets too hard nor too agressive. Smile and say hello and WAIT FOR YOUR TURN.

Additional Info:
On big swells, the waves begin to break South of this spot (see Goulien and Kersiguennoù spots, on this website)... but on BIG swells, Kerloc'h begins to break as a righthander pointbreak. It doesn't work at low tide and stops working at high, so COME AT MIDDLE TIDE. Because of heavy rains in winter, the marsh flows itself seaward along the right-side rocky coast and this makes a HEAVY CURRENT.
Plus : thanks to the local farmers, the marsh runoff can bring strange red algae, but there are no known surf diseases related to this pollution. All you can fear is to swallow some of it while duckdiving ! To get to the peak, paddle on the left to avoid the waves and DO NOT USE THE CURRENT if you don't know the place : you would be swept on the rocks. The current is powerful and will probably take you southward, where you will mmet more rights-and-left waves : just left yourself go and use the waves to go back to shore; then walk again toward the main peak.

Location

Access

Halfway from Brest and Quimper cities, get into the Crozon peninsula and follow roadsigns toward Camaret city (main road D8). After crossing Crozon city, the countryside road will get down a small hill with a wonderful seaview : WATCH THE TURNS while looking at it ! The Kerloc'h spot is the beach along the road. Down the road, you'll see a little bridge between the beach and a marsh ("Kerloc'h" is breton language and it means hamlet of the marsch).
Park on the left side of the road BEFORE the bridge : you're arrived. For boat access, look at Goulien spot, on this very website.

Walk	Instant access (<5 min)
Public access	Yes
4x4 required	Unknown
Boat required	Unknown

Wave Characteristics

Type	Point break
Direction	Right
Bottom	Sandy
Power	Fun
Frequency	Regular (100 days/year)
Normal length	Normal (50 to 150m)
Good day length	Long (150 to 300m)

Ideal Conditions

Wind direction	North, SouthEast, East, NorthEast
Swell direction	NorthWest, West, SouthWest
Swell size	8ft-10ft - 8ft+
Tide	Mid tide
Tide movement	Rising and falling tides