Belharra Giant Wave Could Reappear Off Urrugne This Evening, Prefecture Warns

Overview

• The Pyrénées-Atlantiques prefecture says conditions late Monday could trigger the rare breaker about 3 km off the Basque Corniche near Urrugne.
• A prefectural order also bans parking on the Corniche road, with violations subject to fines by the National Police.
• Belharra forms when a powerful North Atlantic swell hits the shallow Belharra Perdun plateau, where depths rise abruptly from roughly 10 meters to about 100 meters.
• The wave appears only under specific swell and very low-pressure patterns, can reach around 20 meters, and may still fail to form despite the alert.
• The phenomenon was last recorded on January 27, 2025, when elite surfers including Justine Dupont rode it.