Then, in 1990, Jean-Francois Lalle became the first to ride a surfboard at St Pardon. Since then the number of surfers and kyakers has grown immensely. Although there is only a small group of regular surfers seen on the river throughout late summer and autumn.

High media exposure has drawn increasing numbers of kayaks, canoes, motorboats and even jet-ski's to St Pardon, which now grossly outnumber the surfers. With as many as a hundred people in the water, locals have again started looking further afield for surfable waves on the Garonne.

At St Pardon the head wave can reach four foot over a 4km course, generally breaking out from the tree-lined west bank. As many as ten of the trailing waves are also surfable over considerable distance, and sometimes break larger than the head wave. Waves in excess of four feet have been reported on the Garonne river beyond Arcins island, although these spots are highly secret to the locals.