I was thinking more tropical oceans like South China Sea etc even some of those smaller sea's that get trade winds running the length of them, in these kind of areas google earth is pretty much useless, just because you don't see waves or set ups doesn't mean they are not there, you would really need to just go and look under the right conditions heaps of wasted time..but if you even found a nice fun waist to shoulder high wave you would pretty much be guaranteed to have it uncrowded with no threat of a surf camp being built or a charter boat turning up…plenty of other things to do and see in these areas.

I know what you mean about the regular waves Steve - I spent about 8 years OS maybe 6 of those in Italy and Mediterranean France. Had a ball but finally coming back to northern NSW with the consistent surf feels really nice!
Shame that Marseilles is just that bit too far from the mountains for regular weekend ski trips that might scratch that carving itch. Did it quite a few times from La Ciotat but it's an effort, especially considering you have a young family.
It sounds like you aren't having particularly positive experiences with the French, is that French in general or mainly the surfers? How are you finding the arab/muslim aspect of the south of France?

I understand, after roughly 8 years living in the Cannes area,
I was surfing San Remo everytime the Mistral blew, and praying for the once a year south swells that lit up the coast. So much potential but just lacking swell.
The island of Cannes could have some of the funnest waves I have ever surfed, but it is now overrun with French Stand up paddles with no idea of etiquete
Good luck with Corsica, there are some waves there, especially around Calvi, but Sardinia seems to be much better, it recieves the Mistral swell with out the wind.

One cheap option that gets heaps of waves is the north coast of Mallorca and Menorca, I think you can get a ferry from Marseille?

Good luck with the locals, I was also 'done' with them, unfortunately I still have an apartment over there, navigating the local bureaucracy is a nighmare.

Cheers Steve.

One last thing I wish to add, is I loved my experience living in France, but like a love that has faded, you find the things you found so amusing start to grate on you.
The old bloke who stops his car in the middle of an intersection with his hazards lights on and then goes into the shop to buy his paper and lotto ticket holding up everyone going to work, or the old purple haired woman who blatantly pushes infront of you at the supermarket, the shop assistant who ignores you and then pretends to not understand your passable French, small insignificant things that you shouldnt get upset at, but you cant help thinking 'that wouldnt happen at home' it builds up and beacuse of a home sickness, these things take on much greater proportions, in the end I found myself saying I now have to go.
In their defence though, I lived in a town that was overflowing with Aussie, Kiwis English and Sth Africans all working or trying to work on the yachts that frequent that area. The locals are much more tolerant of our behavoiur and a lot of the crews blatant refusal to speak French, than we would be of the same situation over here.
I now look back on my time there with a fondness, the beachside bars, the streets still full of people at 10 at night, the overall safety of the place, but I know I dont want to live there again.