Map › France › Camargue - Port-Saint-Louis › Carteau
Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône · Fos-sur-Mer / Camargue · Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone
Carteau
also known as Plage de Carteau, Anse de Carteau
Nearby Pointe de la Gracieuse 5 km · Plage du Cavaou 6 km · Beauduc 21 km · Le Jaï 25 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
The Mistral is synoptic, not a daytime wind: it can be blowing at dawn, still blowing after dark, and running for days. The southeast Marin behaves like a sea breeze, and it is turbulent while it is setting up, steadying only once it is properly established, so the first hours of a building southeast day are the awkward ones. No published hours.
The wind
locals call it Mistral / Tramontane / Marin
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: The Mistral is synoptic, not a daytime wind: it can be blowing at dawn, still blowing after dark, and running for days. The southeast Marin behaves like a sea breeze, and it is turbulent while it is setting up, steadying only once it is properly established, so the first hours of a building southeast day are the awkward ones. No published hours.
Typical strength
Mistral is the strong end here and gusts past 30-40 knots are on the record for the spot. The southeast Marin is the moderate, steadier direction and the one the schools work in. The nearest long-record station, at Istres about 20 km inland, averages 11 knots from the north-northwest with gusts to 31 over 2000-2026; that is a corridor figure for the Mistral valley, not a figure for the anse.
The quiver, in words
Indicative, converted from the wind that actually gets ridden here rather than measured. For 75-85 kg on flat water: 11-12 m in a light 12-15 knot Marin, 9 m at 18-20, 7 m in a solid Mistral around 25, and 5-6 m once the Mistral is gusting past 30.
Direction to shore
SE is onshore to side-on and the reference flat-water direction; Mistral N/NW is side-off to side-shore, rideable but irregular.
Dominant direction
SE and NW are commonly cited; N, SE and SW are also listed.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan63
- Feb56
- Mar, riders' month63
- Apr, riders' month65
- May, riders' month42
- Jun, riders' month45
- Jul, riders' month50
- Aug, riders' month40
- Sep, riders' month48
- Oct, riders' month45
- Nov52
- Dec50
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.
- 63%Jan13°
- 56%Feb13°
- 63%Mar13°
- 65%Apr15°
- 42%May17°
- 45%Jun21°
- 50%Jul22°
- 40%Aug23°
- 48%Sep22°
- 45%Oct20°
- 52%Nov17°
- 50%Dec14°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63% | 79% | 74% | 17.1 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 7.5°C | 13.1°C | 62 |
| Feb | 56% | 68% | 63% | 16.1 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 10.2°C | 12.7°C | 57 |
| Mar | 63% | 81% | 74% | 18.2 kt | SE | 15:00 | 11.7°C | 13.4°C | 62 |
| Apr | 65% | 87% | 78% | 18.4 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 14.1°C | 14.5°C | 60 |
| May | 42% | 61% | 58% | 15.1 kt | NNW | 15:00 | 18.4°C | 17°C | 62 |
| Jun | 45% | 80% | 70% | 15.5 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 23.1°C | 21.2°C | 60 |
| Jul | 50% | 66% | 61% | 14.7 kt | NNW | 15:00 | 25.8°C | 22.4°C | 62 |
| Aug | 40% | 56% | 55% | 14.1 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 25.2°C | 22.9°C | 62 |
| Sep | 48% | 63% | 60% | 15.4 kt | SE | 15:00 | 21°C | 21.9°C | 60 |
| Oct | 45% | 68% | 63% | 15.6 kt | SE | 14:00 | 17.5°C | 20.1°C | 62 |
| Nov | 52% | 63% | 55% | 15.2 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 12.2°C | 16.8°C | 60 |
| Dec | 50% | 65% | 58% | 15.9 kt | NNW | 12:00 | 8.6°C | 13.7°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
flat
Standing depth
Shallow; you can stand almost everywhere in front of the spot, with deeper water to the left for foil.
Tides
Minimal Mediterranean tide; tide does not matter here.
Temperature
26°C summer · 10°C winter
Wetsuit
Summer can be light neoprene or boardshorts depending on wind; winter requires a full wetsuit.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Large, but often overloaded on busy weekends.
Somewhere else
Pointe de la Gracieuse, 5 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Large grassy rigging and launch area beside the parking at Plage / Anse de Carteau, with hard sand down at the water. Parking, showers and toilets on site. The car park has a 2.50 m height barrier and sleeping in a vehicle there is prohibited.
Space
Large, but often overloaded on busy weekends.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Rig in the marked technical zone and, when it is crowded, keep your unused gear off the grass.
- In Southeast wind launch right at the water's edge, so the trees behind the parking are not your downwind.
- Never cross into the mussel parks, the interior ponds or the shipping channel; all three are off-limits and the channel has tankers in it.
- On weekdays from March to November, Zone A is only open before 09:00 and after 16:00; plan the session around that.
- Watch your footing at the entry: the shoreline is slippery with algae.
- Carry proof of insurance; the arrete requires it.
- Wear water shoes. There are sea urchins and anemones in the seagrass by the entry.
- The bottom is close everywhere in front of the spot, so wear a helmet.
- The car park has a 2.50 m barrier and you cannot sleep in the van there.
Getting there
Airport
Marseille Provence Airport
Route
By road from Aix or Marseille via A51/A55, N568 and D268 toward Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone; from Arles or Nimes via N113 then Mas Thibert. Carteau sits on the town's beach and port side, about 40 km from Marseille Provence Airport. Allow roughly an hour by car - indicative, no source-timed transfer exists.
Transfer
60 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Hotels, rentals, camping or van options around Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone and along the Camargue coast.
No-wind days
Port-Saint-Louis waterfront, Camargue nature visits, Plage Napoleon, cycling routes, Barcarin ferry to Salin-de-Giraud.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kitesurf at Carteau?
Reported best seasons range from spring and autumn to April through October, with sessions possible through the summer as well.
Is Carteau suitable for beginners?
Yes, the shallow flat bay is widely used for learning and freestyle, with standing depth in front of the spot in most areas.
What wind works at Carteau?
Southeast Marin wind is the reference direction because it is onshore to side-on and keeps the water flat, while Mistral or Tramontane from the north/northwest can be gustier.
Are there rules at Carteau?
A 2015 municipal order defines regulated zones within 300 meters, allows weekday sailing in Zone A outside 09:00-16:00 from March to November, bans launching in the protected Zone B near Plage Napoleon, and requires insurance proof.
Is there a kite school at Carteau?
Yes, several local schools operate there including Mistral Kite Passion, Delta Mistral Camargue and Booster Kite.
Last updated: August 2026