If it weren’t for Napoleon, that crazy bastard, we wouldn’t be watching this amazing clip of perfect tubes peeling over some of the world’s best sandbanks in Soorts-Hossegor, France. The area itself, which is now an iconic beachside city, was a swamp until in the late 18th century, when the diminutive Bonaparte diverted the Adour River south to Bayonne, which is about 16 miles south of Hossegor, and had trees planted to hold the sand there for military purposes. The offshore canyon created by the river’s original delta remained, funneling Atlantic swell energy into the beaches, forming the incredible sandbars you see below. A happy accident if there ever was one.