The sun is shining, the world’s best female surfers are here, bikinis are out, boards are waxed and the music is loud… What’s better than being in Biarritz from the 11th to the 16th of July this year?… Absolutely nothing!

In spite of a grey first day of competition, the standard of surfing at the Roxy Jam has been ridiculously high this year, with the waves being “better than last year”, according to Kassia Meador. She’s sporting a big smile after defeating fellow American favourite Schuyler McFerran on Sunday to secure her spot in the quarterfinals.

Kassia put on a storming display for the Côte des Basques crowd, ripping up the waves with an extraordinary talent, but on Monday Kassia will have to pull out all the stops as she faces some strong adversaries in the quarterfinals. Joy Monahan (HAW), Justine Dupont (FRA), Chelsea Williams (AUS) and a strong US contingent including Rachel Barry, Leah Dawson, Julie Cox and last year’s champ Jennifer Smith will all be battling it out to win the The Roxy ASP Women’s World Longboard Championships.

In addition to the surfing action, the post-beach parties have been equally legendary. On Friday night, Brit band Operator Please hit the stage of the Square Sainte-Eugenie, followed up by a storming seaside set from Parisian female DJ Nadège Winter on Saturday night. The weekend culminated in a crowd-pleasing performance from French band The Do on the beach on Sunday night. A fitting end to a perfect weekend.

If you’re a fan of surfing, music and fancy a sunny trip to one of the coolest place on earth, get yourself down to Biarritz. The competition finishes on Wednesday and promises to offer some magical performances from the world’s best riders.

With some excellent swell forecast, the quarterfinals have been scheduled for today. Over to you girls…

Words and photos: Elisa Routa