Continent
Europe
Country
France
Next Big City
Nice
Next Town
Saint Aygulf, Saint Raphael
 
Type:
Ocean
Rider Ability:
Beginner, Intermediate, Expert
Features:
Camping, Shop, Shower, Parking

Water

Type:
Shallow, Chop, Small wave
Hazards:
Wave breaker
Quality:
Clean
Best Tide:
Tide independent

Mediterranean Sea, no tide, no current. Always a bit choppy, short waves with East wind, and shore break. Bigger waves with onshore wind, not easy. Shallow parts.

Beach

Type:
Sand
Size:
Medium
Hazards:
No information
Beach Users:
June, July, August

Soft sandy beach, no shells, no pebbles, no rocks. Some parts wide enough to launch and land a kite. Actually this is the first beach wide enough to launch safely a kite going west from the Italian border. The beach is protected by 2 rock pier, making an artificial small bay and a protected start area in shallow water. Very good for beginners.

Weather

Spring:
Shorty, Normal
Summer:
Shorts
Fall:
Shorty, Normal
Winter:
Normal, Thick

Water temperatures: 23°C in summer, 20°C until October, going progressively to 16°C in December, the coldest is February with 13°C, and then going up starting to be 20°C in May. In summary shorty from May to October, long wetsuit in winter. The season is all the year, but cold in February.

Wind

Best Months:
April, May, June, July, August, September
Wind Type:
Thermal
Best Direction:
S
Main Direction:
E, SE, SSE, S, W, WNW, NW

4 major types of winds: 1) thermal wind, called "Ponant", South 10-20 knots, sideonshore, ideal for kitesurfing. Starts at 1-2pm until the evining. 2) East wind, with swell, waves shore break, clouds and maybe rain. Can be strong 25-40 knots. Straight onshore, for experts. Start difficulty in the shore break. 3) West wind, called "Mistral", blue sky, very strong 25-45 knots. Offshore, not for this spot, better go windsurfing in Saint Raphael, 4km away. 4) No wind, in French slang "Petole". Unfortunately too frequent.



How to get there

Transport
Car, Bus, Train
Access
Short walk

From Nice airport, take the motorway direction "Aix en Provence", exit "Frejus", follow the sign "Saint Aygulf". When the road reaches the sea, before entering the village of "Saint Aygulf", it is there. Train station: Saint Raphael. From the train station, probably a bus. All people come by car, parking is along the beach, but not too much space if it is warm enough for swimming.

Extra information

Rules
Zones

Stay within the special kitesurf zone to the north. Parking lot is free from October to May.

Nightlife

No information