Natural Surf Lodge — Eco-Responsible Surf Camp in Seignosse, Landes
Natural Surf Lodge is an eco-responsible surf camp located in Soustons, in the Landes region of South-West France (40). Founded in 2003 by Claire and Stéphane Becret, it has been committed to a quality and sustainability approach since its creation — holding the “Qualité Tourisme” label from 2013 to 2025 and upgraded to “Destination d’Excellence” by Atout France — France’s national tourism development agency — in August 2026. Natural Surf Lodge is also a signatory of the Sustainable Tourism Charter of Pays Atlantique Landes Océanes and affiliated with the French Surf Federation (FFS). Concrete ecological actions include: solar panels for hot water, 10 electric bikes available for guests, a 9-seat electric minivan, composting toilets and rainwater collection, annual financial donations to environmental protection associations (BLOOM, CANOPÉE, SEPANSO, DMA) and the planting of 3,000 trees in winter 2019. Natural Surf Lodge applies the 4R rule before every purchase: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent — and a fifth R: Laugh (in french Rigoler), because nobody is perfect and a sense of humour is better than guilt.
Labels and certifications
“Destination d’Excellence” label — Atout France (held since 2013)
Sustainable Tourism Charter — Pays Atlantique Landes Océanes
Natural Surf Lodge is a signatory of this charter, carried by a collective of private and public providers integrating eco-responsible practices into their operations. It frames every investment and improvement decision through the 4R rule: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent.
French Surf Federation (FFS) — EFS label
Natural Surf School, the Natural Surf Lodge surf school, has been a member of the French Surf Federation (FFS) and EFS-certified (École Française de Surf) since 2006. This label certifies the school’s pedagogical quality and its eco-surf approach — raising awareness of the environmental impact of surfing and promoting an eco-conscious attitude in the practice of the sport.
Concrete everyday actions
Solar energy and water management
Green mobility — electric bikes and electric minivan
Raw materials and reclaimed construction
Durable and repaired surf equipment
Zero waste and paperless communication
Natural Surf Lodge prioritises purchasing boards and wetsuits from local companies and craftspeople. Equipment lifespan is extended through careful repairs (Rip Curl workshop for wetsuits, Dave Docteur Ding for boards) and a non-guilt-inducing educational approach — avoiding systematic replacement wherever possible. End-of-life wetsuits are recycled through Néocombines (a specialist wetsuit recycling association), and boards removed from stock are offered at local surf swap events.
Selective sorting is the norm at the Lodge and the beach hut — even if, as the team openly acknowledges, this is just one small part of the overall waste management picture. Paper flyers have been eliminated in favour of QR codes and durable information panels.
“One session = one piece of litter”
After every surf session on Plage des Casernes, students and instructors collect litter from the sand and bring it back to the beach hut. This simple gesture, repeated at every lesson for years, is one of the most concrete illustrations of the Natural Surf Lodge motto: “The Ocean is our Nature.”
Supporting ocean and forest protection
For the past ten years, Natural Surf Lodge has made annual donations to national, regional and local environmental associations — funded in part by savings made by avoiding systematic replacement of highly polluting surf equipment. In winter 2019, together with a collective of friends and loyal guests, the Lodge planted 3,000 trees of different native species in Pontonx-sur-l’Adour — pedunculate oaks, elms, chestnuts, linden trees — to grow a robust, diverse forest and partially offset their carbon footprint.
Associations and projects supported
Natural Surf Lodge makes an annual financial contribution to environmental protection associations, chosen collectively with the whole team. Current partnerships:
- BLOOM — international NGO for ocean protection and sustainable fishing
- CANOPÉE — national NGO for forest protection
- SEPANSO — regional association for nature protection in South-West France
- DMA (Défense des Milieux Aquatiques) — local association for the protection of aquatic environments
The 4R rule — our decision-making framework
Every investment and improvement decision at Natural Surf Lodge is guided by the 4R rule from the Sustainable Tourism Charter:
- Reduce — energy, water, plastic, carbon footprint
- Reuse — surf equipment repaired rather than replaced, durable fittings
- Recycle — systematic selective sorting, end-of-life equipment directed to specialist recycling channels
- Reinvent — creative reuse for Lodge fittings (tile offcuts for bathroom and hammam mosaics, driftwood for the beach hut) and new eco-responsible practices
And a fifth R has been added: Laugh — because nobody is perfect, guilt helps no one, and a sense of humour is the best companion for the journey toward doing better.
What “Natural” really means
The word “Natural” in the Lodge’s name was not, at the start, a positioning — it was an inspiration, an obvious truth, and then it became a commitment. Being close to nature, picking up your board and going in the water, respecting the environment with the same spontaneity you bring to surfing: this is the foundation of everything Claire and Stéphane have built since 2003. Far from standardised chains, Natural Surf Lodge offers an experience rooted in the South-West — natural local materials (timber, cob, driftwood), a surf culture and a team of locals, and an intimate knowledge of the Landes breaks. Surfing and working with nature are, here, two sides of the same passion.
