For the third year in a row, the Surf Affinity crew have firmly dug their toes into the lush soft sand of south-west France after running their first ‘Lifestyle’ week of 2011. Having enjoyed another lovely winter in the alps, Coz, Lou, Ashleigh & Jess returned to the gorgeous pine forests and sandy beaches of les Landes along with eight budding female surfers, determined to strut their stuff in the waves!

More than just your typical surf camp, Surf Affinity has established itself as a destination for all girls who surf. Learning together in a safe and progressive environment, whilst cutting out the nonsense of fighting for waves with the boys, the Surf Affinity camp is the perfect way to introduce yourself to surfing, or push your skills further. Ashleigh Bennetts of the O’Neill Surf Academy uses personal teaching techniques that give each lady a realistic target for her surf session.  She acknowledges that each and every one of us learns in a different way and at varying speeds!

The O’Neill sponsored week kicked off with an introduction to the area, which is set in Europe’s largest pine forest and just on the border of France’s infamous Basque Country. With wild beaches that stretch on for miles, you would be forgiven for thinking that South-west France is forgotten about for eight months of the year.  Les Landes seems to come alive in July and August when Europeans flock here to enjoy the crashing waves and heady sunshine, but that allowed our young ladies to make the most of it all and relax in the peace and quiet!

Surfing was the aim of the game, with at least one surf session with Ashleigh each day. Ash explained that the girls would need to become accustomed to living ‘according to the times of the tide’ as that would allow for optimum learning potential! This wasn’t a difficult task, as the ladies learnt to make the most of their down time, by checking out the local markets, taking horse-rides on the beach or stretching out their aches and pains with yoga sessions from Caroline Beliard.

The girls at Nalu Beads also sent over some of their awesome jewelry kits, which included glass beads of all colours and patterns. Each of the campers could make their own bracelet or necklace and there were big smiles all round. Nalu Beads are based in Cornwall, in the UK, but are looking to branch out into Europe and with workshops like this one, we’re sure it wont take long!!

Ash brought along her newest recruit to the team at the O’Neill Surf Academy, Jess Henry, who inspired the ladies with her awesome surfing skills and Nalu Beads knowledge! Tasty meals out at Mojitos and Le Surfing ensured that the girls could enjoy some of the delicious local cuisine and live music, and Coz and Lou did their best to make sure everyone was ready and prepped for the next day’s action!

After sleepy dawn sessions and sunset BBQs, we’re pretty sure that the girls had a taste of what the real surfing lifestyle is all about and will continue to live it as much as they can once they return home.

Big thanks must go out to O’Neill who provided action packed goody bags to all the campers, Nalu Beads for their gorgeous jewelry kits and Les Ettes for providing samples of their action-inspired perfumes.

The O’Neill Surf Academy run camps and courses throughout the year. Check out their website for more info!