No other windsurfer chases giant waves as consistently as Thomas Traversa. He is particularly fond of the big wave spots in Europe, which come to life in winter. The year 2025 once again held a few days in store for Thomas and his fellow windsurfers that are second to none in Hawaii. Thomas reports:
In winter 2025, there was a very solid forecast for big waves, six to eight metres wave height with a 17 second period, and the wind also looked promising for Brittany. The first day should bring strong south-south-westerly winds, perfect for one of the most extreme spots on the north coast of Brittany - Île de Vierge. For the second day, the wind was forecast to shift to west-north-west, the ideal direction for the Îles-aux-Vaches, in southern Brittany. Two days with big waves and strong winds, two different spots - everything looked like a perfect strike mission!
When the big storms come, the Bretons are sure to go to the sea and watch the natural spectacle."
I was originally planning to chase this storm alone, but while I was travelling from Austria towards Brittany, a few messages popped up on my smartphone: Antoine Albeau was also chasing waves, should have a safety backup ready. on his way to the north-west of France, and French professional wingfoiler Axel Gerard also asked if he could join the mission. But for me, one of the key players was my mate Pierre Bouras, a really good photographer who often travels with me when big waves hit Europe. He is an excellent jetski rider who, as well as taking good pictures, also takes care of safety for us. The other members of the mission were Jamie Hancock, who was to film everything, the young British rider Freddie, who had travelled with Jamie to go windsurfing himself and also help with the filming. And then there was Marco - a French local and shaper with a penchant for breaking equipment. The aim of our strike mission was clear: to spend two days at the two best big wave spots in Brittany and catch the biggest waves of the winter!
Île de Vierge - brutal spot with unique scenery
Île de Vierge is located on the north coast of Brittany, quite remote and really difficult for windsurfing: the tidal differences are huge and change the face of the spot considerably within a few hours. The start is also tricky, with strong currents coming out of a lagoon. Rocks lurk on the way out, even where the waves are already breaking. The break can work on days with big swell, but is far from perfect. There are different peaks over two different parts of a shallow reef, which makes positioning not always easy.
On this big day, the wind was howling, which naturally caused the wave faces to chop up a lot. In addition, there was a lot of seaweed floating in the breaker zone, which didn't exactly help to relax and made the wave rides somewhat unpredictable. So this day was less about the best performance or the perfect ride, the conditions were too wild for that this time. Nevertheless, this spot is just incredibly beautiful - the scenery with the two lighthouses and simply the experience of riding these huge wave crests out there and feeling the incredible power of the ocean up close. Our friend Marco tried to join us - with borrowed windsurfing gear - but he chose a wrong line on the way out and got caught by a big set wave before he even reached the peak. The mast was small wood, but that's what happens in conditions like this. Luckily Pierre was on hand to help him and brought him safely back to shore on the jet ski.
Île-aux-Vaches - Full wash cycle on the cow island
On the second day, we travelled to Île-aux-Vaches, the "cow island", a well-known spot with a slightly easier start and fewer dangers - at least in theory. The conditions weren't particularly fierce that day, but the wind direction wasn't ideal. It was a little too onshore, which made riding the waves really difficult. Marco didn't let this - or his crash the day before - stop him and went out again, once more with borrowed equipment.
He got some nice waves until he tried to go deeper and more radically into the wave. A wall of water six to seven metres high hit right behind him, he lost control and got a full wash! Another mast broke, his entire rig separated from the board, sank and disappeared never to be seen again.
In the meantime, young Freddie from England was also out on the water, filming himself in the waves of his life. In his exuberance, however, he manoeuvred himself into a very unfavourable position: in Île-aux-Vaches, you normally ride the waves on the main reef and then jibe out of the wave to look for a suitable line again. Freddie also surfed a wave at the main break, but rode it on to the shallow inner reef. The lip of the wave caught him there and he lost his equipment. He then swam for half an hour and tried in vain to retrieve it before making it to shore with great difficulty - at least that's what the onlookers on the beach told me afterwards, as I hadn't noticed much of the drama on the water myself.
Marco went out with borrowed equipment. In a fall, the rig separated from the board and disappeared forever."
Storms in Brittany - always a spectacular natural spectacle
The people of Brittany really do live to the rhythm of the ocean: low tide, storms, wind, waves, rain and sun determine their activities. When big storms come, it's natural for the locals to go to the sea and watch the natural spectacle! Families, older people and local windsurfers gather where the waves are most impressive, there is always a very friendly atmosphere on the beach.
Every trip to Brittany is a joy for me. I meet up with old friends, we surf the biggest waves together and chat about life. When the next winter storm rolls in, I'll be back.
