Natural Surf Lodge Spirit - The story behind
Introduction
This text, written by Claire Bécret, traces the history of the Natural Surf Lodge since its creation. It is the occasion, for those who are interested, to know a little more about the origin of the concept and the beginning of the human adventure which continues over the years. Written spontaneously following a life experience as difficult as it was enriching, it is addressed to all those who wish to share with us, for the duration of a surfing stay, the exceptional environment of the Lodge, the Landes waves and to live unforgettable moments alongside our enthusiastic and professional team.
Enjoy your reading!
Chapter I
The place
The Natural Surf Lodge is a family business launched in 2000 when Stéphane and I were looking for a place between ocean and forest to build a small house that would welcome our future family.
Justin arrived on November 22, 2001 and began his life in Seignosse, at the Penon Residence de l'Eyre, apartment 741, 3rd floor, just behind the parking lot of "l'Agréou", at the edge of the pine forest but above all a few steps from the waves. Finding a piece of land in the area is not easy (and even less so today (!) because in the region, one does not sell, one passes on from family to family, from ruin to ruin.
However, after a curious detour by Stéphane and an acquaintance working in real estate, the Airial du Cleurcq (from the Gascon airiau, is a piece of land covered with lawn and planted with a few oaks or umbrella pines, formerly in front of most of the houses of the Landes de Gascogne) imposed itself to us like a rough diamond, a ruin with an extraordinary potential.
At the same time Greg, my American-Scottish friend by adoption, is looking for a place to settle down after 3 years of life aboard a small sailboat moored in Capbreton. A hip operation and the wet Landes winters forced him to put his bags down and look for a car park next to a tiny house adapted to its needs. Greg is courageous, stubborn and solitary. Heavily handicapped but totally autonomous, except for feeding himself. He drives valiantly, inspiring both fear and admiration, his little Fiat which is for him a guarantee of autonomy and freedom.
The idea of offering him to live in an outbuilding (ruin of an old bread oven, renovated and transformed into a "Fermette"), lead to an exceptional deal between Greg, Stéphane & me.
Greg will be the first to enjoy this incredible environment. The "Fermette", a small brick building typical of a certain architectural period in the Landes region, will be quickly renovated while our little family settles for the summer in the old pigsty. This small spartan corner was before time, equipped with dry toilets, open air cold shower, summer kitchen and dining room. Few years later, it turned into the "Bungalove" which now offers the comfort of a cosy nest.
The Penon apartment is rented and allows us to live from season to season and then from inter-seasonal jobs.
Stéphane works between the south-west region and Paris in the cinema management then stabilizes himself with a contract of "animator-joker" at the old people's home in Soustons. As for me, I continue my "career" in the summer as an independent surfing instructor while the rest of the school year I alternate work as an animator-environmentalist and as an English speaker in local schools.
Chapter II
First steps in the Airial
Things followed quickly after the death of the owner of the Airial Mrs. SOURGIN who having no direct heir, gave us the chance and the possibility of settling there, our dream was coming true, in Seignosse, between trees and ocean. Great exemple of serendipity or happy chance. The Airial is for us and comes out of the heritage Soustons-Soustonnais. At the beginning the neighbours look at this young surfing couple with both curiosity and suspicion. The brave Marc LOJOU, sharp and lively watchman despite of an ocular degeneration, does not miss an occasion to give his opinion, often very relevant. A very special person, abandoned at birth by his parents, true self-taught genius and authentic storyteller. His wife Régine manages all their properties around but almost never goes out. Their only son Franck and their grandchildren Louis and Aurélien will help us, thank you to them, during various building sites (drilling, recovery of rainwater...)
There is also the NATHER family and their 3 children, our closest neighbours. Discreet but very involved in the Soustons' life. Each one keeps his distance in a mutual respect and love of Nature. So all this little world is wondering what this young couple with a child and a handicapped person will do with "Cleurcq". They will keep wondering how we planned, how we organized our "business plan"... We are still unable to explain it except by saying "what has to happen happens but it doesn't happen by itself, without putting our hands in the cement and so on".
At the beginning it is a great part of clearing which is engaged, thank you to the SOUMET family, Aimé, Eliane, Mathias and Arnaud for their blow of arm, shovel and chainsaw because it was necessary to evacuate the rubble of all a collapsed barn of which it did not remain any more but the feet of wall and to put on the ground an immense fir tree which invaded the space.
The grandparents BECRET-MAUSSET put directly and valiantly the hand to the dough, during long years. Some take care of the meals (mamie Régine and mamie Yoyo), of the various and numerous works like clearing the green spaces or the refection of all the electric network (grandpa Christian). Some lodgeurs will enjoy the sporty driving of grandpa Jean in the traffic roundabouts, they still remember (!), who ensured the transfers from train stations and airport. Without forgetting the care of Justin and then Marius when I went to give surfing lessons at the Casernes beach (yes, that one already!) with my "Big mama", a customised Ford Trafic with bright colors and coloured hibiscus flowers.
It took hours and hours of work to Stéphane, a determined titan who got his energy and pugnacity from his mother Yolande, of pure Béarnaise roots, and his grandfather, grandpa Dédé, a joker like no other, to rehabilitate and embellish a heritage dating from the middle of the 18th century.
Men and women, therefore, experienced in work and in the service of Love. For all the rest, imagination, inspiration, determination and a touch of recklessness have allowed the Natural Surf Lodge to see the light of day, to take breath in the shade of the almost bi-centennial pedunculate oaks, unfortunately all condemned by the capricorn (or rather its larva which cuts the rise of sap and weakens little by little these green colossus). But we are replanting!
In parallel, Stéphane continues his collaboration with his friend Fred in their surf shop "l'Agréou" in Seignosse, where he repairs surfboards, with his beautiful blue apron that caught my eye during my first season but that's another story...
Chapter III
First phase of renovation : the dream in motion.
The renovation of the family house begins with the advice of Eric DUPOUY, Compagnon du Devoir, who likes to revive and give back its letters of nobility to old buildings.
The work begins in our future house, Greg being already well installed next door, in "La Fermette". Nothing is simple, the house is sagging on the east side because it has no foundation, just a sandy ground.
If today the Lodge is a place to dream about, at the time it was the simple dwelling of the tenant farmer and his family. The tenant farmers were peasants who tended the lands of the large landowners whose houses were, on the contrary, made of solid materials with stone and not cob.
The cob was made of a mix of clay and straw held by pieces of wood positioned diagonally.
This rustic and typical house was certainly falling apart, but the frame was still holding up well thanks to the natural and robust materials of oak for the main parts of the frame and pine for the rest.
The oak parts hasn't been touched and still keep the house standing but everything else had to be replaced. Wood and humidity, characteristic of the Landes region (the water is only 70 cm below the ground) means termites. A titanic task that Stéphane undertook alone with his "gun" and thousands of cartridges filled with infamous product. All the feet of the beams were also treated with drain oil to protect them. Not environmentally friendly but effective.
Eric DUPOUY moves forward on his side, straightens the frame, makes the concrete slab and gives birth to the central element, the hearth of the house : the fireplace. In the past, the rooms were divided into small spaces that were easier to heat. There were two fireplaces on each side of the house, and at the end of the house, two stables that provided a little heat or a minimum of insulation, thanks to the warmth of the animals on the west side.
The good peasant sense.
The rack is hung even though the chimney is on props ! But it is a turning point of the construction and the beginning of a new stage in the life of our family which moves in a single room, the future room of Justin. Mattress on the ground and clothes in the suitcases. The kitchen, although precarious and unfinished, is adorned with a magnificent pink SMEG (my whim) which still works 20 years later !
Once the house is finished, we are in 2002, two rooms can welcome guests from spring 2003. At the beginning of the story, we wondered what we were going to do with all this space, 4300 m2 in total and 4 buildings.
We quickly realized that the guest rooms would not be a source of fulfillment because we, surfers and young parents, had a rhythm too different from the vacationers in need for late mornings and drunken evenings. Timing was already a fundamental notion in surfing and was in the heart of our lives.
Today we are at a new turning point in the family history and we hope to see it continuing to the grandeur of the sacrifices and efforts that have been made by all, parents, children, grandparents and friends. We are convinced there are still beautiful and good bits of life to happen. In 2023, the Natural Surf Lodge celebrates its 20 years of existence.
Chapter IV
The Lodge in the Digital Age
Having a place that makes you dream in the beautiful Landes region is good but how to make it known when this place is preserved from the eyes, from a busy road and in the heart of omnipresent nature (fields, forests, ponds and 7 km from the ocean) ? The website is essential and the first version is made up by an ingenious and curious friend, Cedric LECHAT (merci Cédric). Totally "home made" it has however attracted us some surfing guests, people who came for a week to take surfing lessons and are hosted at the Lodge.
Irish surfers will open the ball, in the names of David BATTIGAN and Declan MAC GREGOR. The latter came back almost 20 years later, this summer 2022 with his little family and a few wrinkles and grey hair.
To continue our cosmopolitan experiences, we welcomed Andreas SCATOLERO and his friend Jacopo, two young Italian exchange students. Andrea is now happily settled with his wife and children in Biarritz. We can say that the adventure of the Natural Surf Lodge starts at the international level since it mixes people outside France and it is really great. Thanks to a website launched only in English and in .com we have distinguished ourselves from the existing surf schools, and have reinvented the concept of surf camp, the first surf camp in France, inspired by the Australian surf houses (sort of youth hostels held by surfers). Our motto : try to be always one step ahead, be unique and original.
Since then, 4 versions of the site have been released and the 5th one is due to be launched in 2023.
Chapter V
Second phase of renovation : the second wind
Marius, arrived among us on December 27, 2005 and with him an evidence of intimacy and a decisive year to change our organization : either we could rebuild the barn collapsed years before, or we would stop the accommodation part to continue only the surfing courses "like everyone else".
We took on the first option. The farmhouse was going to rise from its ashes and will allow us to find our family intimacy, which is quite relative, because mixing work, passion and family life requires a lot of maturity and rigor.
Four new rooms were created, one pink, one blue, one orange and one green, as well as the pigsty transformed into the Bungalove, an accommodation dedicated to lovers. THe Lodge can now welcome about fifteen people. This is the optimal number for two surf groups (limited to 8 students per instructor). The right balance because beyond that you don't know who you have at home !
In parallel with the new rooms, the large 100 m2 room, a former sheepfold, is at the heart of the exchanges between Lodgeuses and Lodgeurs.
A long table for 16 guests was made by Stéphane and Jean-Yves and became the central element of conviviality.
The lounge area is located in the southwest corner, the TV/video area with its pleasant fireplace in the off-season in the southeast corner, the kitchen in the northeast corner, and the pinball area, pool and soccer tables in the northwest corner. The place has been approved "feng shui" by a specialist trainee who passed by the Lodge during a week of surfing. The elders did not wait for the fashion to orientate it naturally in a symbiotic way, to take full advantage of the assets of the Nature.
Juxtaposed to the rooms, the XXL jacuzzi is built at the foot of the East façade. It adds a major advantage to off-season surfing. It is so pleasant after having battled and surfed spring waves, to plunge into the jacuzzi maintained geothermally at 32°C.
Indeed, the Lodge operates from April to November and our "business policy" has always been to honor our commitments even for a single guest. We are convinced that this has paid off. Beyond the extraordinary place of life that the Lodge represents, there are the guests and the team without whom this adventure would not have been able to continue without such good vibes induced by sharing, loyalty, curiosity, diversity, difference and, in short, affectionate and friendly bonds developed over the years.
Chapter VI
The protagonists : surfers from all horizons
How can we thank everyone without producing a non-exhaustive list that would inevitably omit someone ? The faithful will recognize themselves if they read this retrospective, which is also an opportunity to thank them and to express all our gratitude and our happiness to see them again year after year at the Lodge, together, separately, according to personal and economic constraints...
The team will also recognize itself in this great family and friendly adventure : thank you grandfathers & grandmothers, thank you Greg, thank you Chacha, thank you Pifou, thank you Jojo, tio Seb, Lamarkus, the greatest thank you to Mathilde (10 years of good and loyal services coupled with an overflowing energy, without which the Lodge would certainly not have been able to remain an "impeccable" place and the surf shack an outpost of loyalty and almost open day and night ! Mathilde has become in a few years an excellent surf instructor, a big wave rider of La Nord recognized by her peers, a real force of nature always ready to give a hand). Thanks also to the tender and dynamic Liza who formed with Chacha, the most beautiful couple of co-workers of the Lodge. ON to of that, they blessed us with the gift to be godfather and godmother of their little princess Lou since September 23, 2021. Not forgetting Carla, our "best", beautiful and efficient assistant.
And then there are Fx and Esther, our French-New Zealand couple and their "mixed family". Their eldest son Xavier still celebrates his birthday every year at the Lodge. Rémi's gang, always faithful, the trios and quartets : "the Austrian" Olivier, Andreas & Co., "the Savoyard" Alex and his friends, "the transversal" Paris-Limoges-Toulouse Christophe & Co, Nico and Jordan, the Leprince family and the couple formed at the Lodge by Mélanie and Jocelyn, the clan of firemen from Marseille and our adorable Fanny, queen of Nutella-filled cannelés, who treats us to apple juice from the family property and homemade lavender water, the solo travelers, Véro, Lucille, Carla, who have become friends. The other quartet with Marielle, who has now moved to Seignosse, Marco in Texas, and Julien and Alice in Switzerland. How to pay tribute to all of them without forgetting our teenagers of the surf camps, who keep us moving forward.
It's too difficult, let's say it's like taking pictures. The best ones are never taken ! What remains are the memories, the beautiful encounters and friendships that continue over the years, those of an intense week of emotion or of a few stolen moments during a busy day or on the way back to the local train station in St Vincent de Tyrosse.
Life follows its course, like the water of a river that flows without stopping, the Lodge crosses the years, the teenagers welcomed as our own children have become fulfilled adults. They come back to give news from time to time or even settle in the region, I think about Clément, Camille, Elliott, Yannis in particular. And all the friends who come along for the Tuesday Brasier, which mixes local surfers and surfers passing by.
In spite of all these positive waves, times off are necessary because the Natural Surf Lodge is a moving entity, in perpetual adaptation to the surf conditions. This capacity of adaptation is fantastic and allows the realization of incredible things but it requires a great deal of energy, like a perpetual move, being there at the right place, at the right time, changing plans at the last minute while maintaining a high degree of quality.
2020 was a difficult year for all but also the starting point of a new chapter of the story.
A rejuvenated and hard core team in the persons of Indhy, Gaétan and Hugo and supported in summer by "super intendants" like Agathe, Maud, Claire... "Helpex collaboration" contributes to maintain this cosmopolitan and dynamic working atmosphere. Thank you Christophe, Caro, Loïc, thank you Oré... Thank you to our au pairs Laura's from Canada, Hanna from Czech Republic, Olga our yogi from Russia, Maia from Argentina in couple with our friend Christophe DEVEAU today happy parents. Finally, Chiara from Argentina, a globetrotting body board artist with whom we continue to keep in touch today. And all these great women from the 4 corners of the world, who share our lives with tender thoughts and little Whatsapp messages. Thank you Béné, thank you Véro, thank you Lucille, thank you Marie Noëlle, thank you Pépette, thank you Malika, thank you Caro and thank you to all these beautiful souls who have left a memory, a link along the adventure...
Chapter VII
What is the Lodge exactly?
Stéphane conceptualized and realized all the arrangements, raw and subtle at the same time. The mix of materials and colors made the Lodge a unique and aesthetic place, almost like a perfect wave.
We thought it as for us, simple, beautiful, without fuss, natural and spontaneous to feel quickly at ease, as at home.
4300 m2 of land planted with bicentennial oaks, an old bread oven, a souillarde* transformed into a "Fermette" for couples, a 100 m2 house where our family, Biscotte and Minouchou, live, a 100m2 common room also dedicated to meals and convivial moments, a lounge area next to the bread/pizza oven, entirely rebuilt by Stéphane in the pure tradition, dry toilets, an XXL trampoline, an azure blue shaping room, a room for electric bikes and beach bikes, a small tree house for napping, reading, listening to the birds or getting a massage. Then, leaving the reception desk, we head towards the unavoidable Bungalove, a former pigsty, with its tiki and its colorful sofa with a Polynesian perfume. To the right in line are the 4 rooms: the family room for 5 people, then follow "la Onda" (blue), "l'Estiu" (orange), "la Green Room" (green) which can accommodate 4 people in a single bed on 2 levels. Each bathroom has been shaped and mosaicked by Stéphane and the joints have been polished by his mother Yolande. Each colored "nest" has its own singularity, photos of surfing by Bastien BONARME and paintings by our friend and artist Karim REJEB give them their identity and originality, creating a unique atmosphere allowing each one to quickly appropriate the place.
Home sweet home but on surfing vacations.
This is essentially what we sought to create, the well-being and (re)comfort of a cocoon in a new environment, the breath of fresh air that allows to recharge the batteries. And surfing.
The bet seems to be rather successful given the rate of "returning" surfers.
However, it is not a question of sitting on one's laurels but of putting the work back on the loom.
In 2021, the jacuzzi and the solarium terrace were completely renovated. The skateboard bowl has existed since 2012 but was originally made of wood. It has been replaced by a concrete structure with "perfect" curves that delights skateboarders and also allows to work on supports in transposition mode, in order to reproduce moves on the waves, especially for speed.
Finally, mosaicked from the bottom to the top of the vault the steam room brings a final touch to the equipment available to the surfer-lodgers.
Chapter VIII
Surfing as a common thread and a surf shack on Casernes' Beach
Over the years, the working set up has grown to make the Natural Surf Lodge a magical place, out of time, a surfers bubble, because whether it is spring, fall or the high summer season, there is no traffic jam, no stress, just a desire to go surfing and play in the waves.
Playing, that's it ! And get a feeling because we are talking about aquatic experience more than surfing : surfing being a physical and sportive activity which is not easy to master without spending hours and hours in the water trying to catch waves (we often talk about 10 000 hours of practice). Why is this so?
1/ each wave is unique
2/ you have to get your timing right, i.e. feel your speed and power and adapt your paddle accordingly
3/ you have to go from a lying position to a vertical position
4/ a new notion of timing but this time at the moment of getting up to take off, neither too early without speed, nor too late to miss the take off rush
5/ a sharpe marine sense to anticipate and place yourself in the best position to catch the wave
So go ahead and be patient....
Timing is the heart of learning but it is also important for the surf camp life rhythm because it is all about making the most of the day and that means getting up early, having an early breakfast and going to the beach. Timing with the tide, timing with the set, timing with the sunrise behind the dune, timing with the wind which can change at any moment etc... This notion of timing led us to propose surf weeks with accommodation at the Lodge. Housing is coupled with surf lessons because not only it's our core business (in the first place, we are sports educators and not hoteliers) but it is also important for logistical organization and group cohesion to schedule moments of sharing (breakfast, surf lessons, Brasero...) to weave a link around a common surfing experience.
A surf camp in the green and a surf school settled right on Seignosse beach Les Casernes, in a dismountable driftwood hut (empowered by coastal law that we fully approve), facing the blue ocean. The Natural Surf Lodge benefits from an exceptional set up in a radius of 7km from the waves to the Lodge or the Villa, passing by the forest and the white pond.
The lodge, which has been in operation since 2005, replaced my FORD Transit truck, nicknamed "Big Mama" by Greg, settled on the parking lot. At that time, the spots were uncrowded but the Casernes beach still keeps its reputation as the most natural and least frequented beach of Seignosse, thanks to a parking lot under the pines at 500 meters from the dune. This distance is enough to discourage the "hurried" and the "less motivated". A Natural Surf School, facing the waves, a surf shack/school decorated with driftwood and optimized to store boards and wetsuits, to launch surf lessons and to host surf theory sessions.
It is a real comfort which is precious to us even if the authorization which is given to us every 3 years remains precarious.
No water or electricity, complete dismantling and use of natural materials to respect the environment.
Chapter IX
What make a good surf season ?
For us, a good season starts with a good staff, with in parallel a good clientele, respectful, nice people, motivated by the sport in the open air and in the middle of nature, and of course the last very variable parameters, the weather and the quality of the sand banks.
The latter are totally out of human control and it's so much better this way. We have to adapt ourselves, a necessary condition of survival ! Surfing is an excellent training for the capacity of adaptation.
Concerning the sun apperances, we take the side of not giving much importance to it (except when it is necessary to protect ourselves from it). Concerning sandbanks, their quality is subject to winds (direction, duration, power), currents, swell and tidal coefficients. So many parameters to compile that require all Stéphane's experience and extensive knowledge of swell forecasts aa well as the relationship with the tidal coefficient and the state of the sandbanks. The position of "surf technical director" is a source of almost permanent stress, except during the weeks under anticyclonic regime, generally in summer (less active lows, protective Azores anticyclone). Cold blood and expertise are required.
Chapter X
A Quality Tourism approach
How can we not talk about quality when we talk about Natural Surf Lodge ? Whether it concerns the equipment, the professionals supervising (surfing & tourism), the concern for detail and work well done, it is a question of pushing a little further the reflection on the improvement process. This is summed up by the entry into the quality process, something that was made official and instilled by the professionals of the Landes CDT (Departmental Council of Tourism), including Pauline CAZAUBON, without whom this initiative could not have taken shape. Since 2013 the pool "surf school", pilot at the time, has been extended to many other actors today.
Two past audits, the last one renewed in 2021 for 5 years, encourage us to continue in this direction even if the procedures are difficult to put in place. Our best barometer remains the satisfaction of our guests which will always supersede the 95%+ of institutional recognition.
More than a Blue/White/Red mark, the work done in the direction of quality has allowed us to structure ourselves internally because customer satisfaction does not wait for questionnaires or opinions on Trip Advisor to take us to heart.
The Quality Tourism approach cannot mean much without a strong commitment to work in a way that respects nature. The surfer by essence should be a fervent defender of his playground : the ocean and its inhabitants.
Chapter XI
A Sustainable Tourism Approach
Let's go forward towards a sustainable tourism and let's introduce the term of "permatourism" (in the sense of permaculture that is to say permanence of ...).
We can say that since its creation the Natural Surf Lodge had already its DNA in its name : Natural...
Thank and honor the Nature that offers us its landscapes, its colors, its so inspiring and beneficial odors?
Surf because we were and will remain a couple of surfers and Lodge because it inspires "cosy", because it began with Love and because Love is everywhere around and at the heart of this adventure.
Words are good, but they need to be translated into action because coherence gives strenght.
I am afraid to forget all the reflections followed by actions since the creation in 2003, when sustainable development was not yet fashionable even if it should have been a must for a long time.
I remember the first 9-seater Vito with its particle filter : big struggle at the time ! Then the choice of materials, as in the old days, wood, lime plaster, recovery for the bathrooms and other mosaic places. Without forgetting the beautiful pieces of solid wood from the sawmill of Mr. TROUNDEYRE in the Basque Country. And finally, the administrative battle with the Buildings of France for such and such a tile rather than another but all these efforts finally paid off.
The installations were not left out since solar panels were installed to heat the water for the showers. A water/water heat pump maintains a nice temperature of 32°C for the jacuzzi on the basis of an exchange of calories with the water table.
At the time it was visionary.
Rainwater tanks, dry toilets and compost remain the staples of the early days and we strive every year to reduce the footprint of our activities on the planet.
In addition to the increasing part of donations to various NGO both local (Pick it up, Defense of Marine Resources and the local club Lou Surfou), regional (SEPANSO) and national (HOP and BLOOM) we try to minimize the purchase of new boards by repairing them as much as possible and thus lengthen their life span. We are exploring other paths (wooden boards, refresh of old boards, reuse of neoprene...) but wetsuits and the manufacturing of surfboards remain very polluting. Our son Justin, a young professional surfer whose dream is to reach the highest level of competition (World Champion Tour), can hardly adopt this economical attitude because the intensive use and the sometimes extreme conditions required by his trainings imply a very limited surf boards life span. Nevertheless, Stéphane repairs them, even the ones broken in two, and reintroduces them in the "second hand" circuit or for the benefit of the most performing young surfers of the school or the surf camp to perform at a lower level in Seignosse and Hossegor waves.
We do as we can while trying to move towards the light.
The mixed forest of 4 hectares of oaks and other species, planted according to the principles of respectful and responsible forestry, is a small action of compensation of our carbon footprint. This initiative is worth existing and allowed us to live another beautiful collective adventure (about twenty people gathered over 3 days to plant 3000 trees). By the way, thanks to all the participants.
Committing to sustainable tourism passes by a transition and a limitation of the human mass welcomed in and out of the water. On our side we have reached our right balance, our cruising speed and it is important to make room for the youngest who apprehend seasonal work in a new way (lightening the time and intensity of work even in high season by employing more people, to enjoy the season on days off, something unthinkable a few years ago...). It is about keeping a generational continuity that is beneficial to all, team and guests. Share the time at work to see it as a pleasure rather than a constraint. The notion of "well-being" at work has all its meaning and we are lucky to have a particularly attractive work environment Seignosse and Hossegor waves are very popular among surfers: a job with passion, proximity to the ocean and nature, a job of service to people on vacation who have chosen to come and practice surfing.
Chapter XII
So what more could we expect ?
To remain heart open, to cultivate creativity, to combine talents and to cope with differences of each one to better function together, to continue to establish solid partnerships with the actors engaged on the territory and more generally in environmental and social projects such as "La Compagnie des Grand Arbres" or the "Chantiers du Chanvre de l'Atlantique". Surf beautiful waves, see the world, laugh, love and on top of this maintain good health.
To end these 20 years of existence, I wanted to share with you some "punch lines" which have been very useful to me and which keep on shining on me regularly :
Who will live will see;
Hope is life;
Where there is a will, there is a way;
There is always a " NO " but you can get a " YES ";
Fear has 2 meanings :
- Forget Everything And Run
- Face Everything And Rise
The choice is yours.
And finally "Tend towards the ideal and understand the real"
Speech to the Youth - Jean Jaurès
Thank you