Surfing Moliets During Covid19 in the summer of 2020 has been a historical event for all. The first wave came to France at the start of March. After returning from paradise in Sri Lanka we were locked down within three days. The lockdown in France despite how hard people found it in some countries , had the tightest lockdown laws along with Spain and Italy .
March April and a bit of May surfing for the first time in my surfing life was illegal. This put most surfers in a pretty tricky situation. With € 135 fines being given out everywhere, it was taken pretty seriously. The truth with the first wave and lock-down was that people were a lot more scared than they were for the second lock-down. With complete and utter confusion about the truth of how lethal covid19 was , it posed a tricky question for some surfers. Break the law, and risk your life and a fine, for a surf or stay at home.
So apart from the moral dilemma ( for some) , there was also a very real threat to the surf school industry in the area. With the local surf lodges forced to stay shut and the schools shut the summer didnt look too bright. So with a seemingly fragile future of the beach industry the first lockdown got into full swing. The French cops are not the type to argue with It was accepted that if you took the risk of a surf you’d probably get busted and fined. The truth is that the cops had helicopters patrolling the beach and they also had cops on quads in the forest. So with forest and beaches illegal , there seemed to be only one choice, and that was to just get on with it. Then 75 days later the president of France announced that the first wave was over and lockdown was to end and that the ban on surfing Moliets during covid19 was now lifted. He also then announced that tourism was to go ahead for the summer of 2020 ! The busiest summer recorded followed , but with mass confusion .