Best time to kitesurf Beauduc

The best time to kitesurf at Beauduc is January, with about 19 windy days a month (15+ knots) and water around 12°C.

Salin-de-Giraud, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

Sports: Kitesurfing, Wingfoiling, Windsurfing

Best time to go: January

Beauduc is a long, curved sand beach on the Camargue coast south of Arles, in the protected wetlands between the Grand Rhône and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, with salt pans, dunes and flamingos all around. From Salin-de-Giraud, the last village with shops about 17 km away, a narrow road and then a hard-packed sand track of about 8 km lead to the beach. A normal car is enough, but concrete posts limit vehicles to about 2 m wide. Since 2018 driving and camping on the beach have been banned: you park on the open ground at the end of the track, about 200 m from the water.

The bay is wide, with no buildings or rocks, and the water stays shallow for a long way, often standing depth for 100 to 150 m. The Mistral, from the north to north-west, blows side-shore along the beach over flat to slightly choppy water; it is steady over the flat land but can be very strong, especially in winter. North-west, south-west and south winds are side-on and work well too, a thermal often blows from the west to south-west in summer, and westerly winds bring small waves. Only an east wind blows offshore here. The main season runs from about April to October.

In summer part of the beach is kept for swimmers and anglers and kite zones are marked; on windy July days there can be hundreds of kites on the water, so follow the signs and keep your distance. There is no water, electricity, toilets or phone signal at the beach, and at most a small snack bar in summer: bring water, food, a first-aid kit and mosquito repellent. Kite schools work from Salin-de-Giraud. The water is about 12 to 13 °C in winter and 21 to 23 °C in summer. The nearest hospital is in Arles; the nearest airports are Marseille, Nîmes and Montpellier.

Month by month at Beauduc

January: 19 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 15 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 12°C, air 12°C (nights 5°C), 23 sunny days, 6 rainy days
February: 15 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 14 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 12°C, air 14°C (nights 7°C), 22 sunny days, 7 rainy days
March: 17 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 14 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 13°C, air 16°C (nights 8°C), 25 sunny days, 8 rainy days
April: 16 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 14 knots, waves 1.3 m, water 15°C, air 19°C (nights 11°C), 28 sunny days, 5 rainy days
May: 11 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 12 knots, waves 1.1 m, water 17°C, air 23°C (nights 15°C), 29 sunny days, 8 rainy days
June: 10 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 12 knots, waves 0.9 m, water 21°C, air 28°C (nights 20°C), 30 sunny days, 5 rainy days
July: 13 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 12 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 23°C, air 32°C (nights 22°C), 31 sunny days, 2 rainy days
August: 11 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 11 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 23°C, air 31°C (nights 21°C), 30 sunny days, 3 rainy days
September: 12 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 12 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 22°C, air 26°C (nights 17°C), 28 sunny days, 6 rainy days
October: 13 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 12 knots, waves 1 m, water 20°C, air 22°C (nights 15°C), 26 sunny days, 9 rainy days
November: 16 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 13 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 17°C, air 16°C (nights 9°C), 23 sunny days, 9 rainy days
December: 15 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 13 knots, waves 1.3 m, water 13°C, air 13°C (nights 6°C), 22 sunny days, 9 rainy days