Map › France › Bretagne — Isthme de Penthievre to Petite Mer de Gavres › Grande Plage de Carnac
Bretagne · Baie de Quiberon - Carnac · Morbihan · Carnac
Grande Plage de Carnac
also known as Carnac Grande Plage, La Grande Plage
Nearby Plage des Sables Blancs 5 km · Isthme de Penthievre 5 km · Plage de Sainte-Barbe 7 km · Plage de Kerhillio 8 km · Petite Mer de Gavres 22 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
The thermal fills in during the afternoon and is often stronger at Carnac than elsewhere along this coast. Anticyclonic and depression wind keeps no clock and is set by the system passing over, not by the hour.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: The thermal fills in during the afternoon and is often stronger at Carnac than elsewhere along this coast. Anticyclonic and depression wind keeps no clock and is set by the system passing over, not by the hour.
Typical strength
12-30+ knots across South Brittany regimes: anticyclonic E-NE 12-18 kt, summer W thermal 15-18 kt, and depression winds 15 to 30+ kt
The quiver, in words
No local recommendation is published for this beach. Indicative, from the South Brittany regimes: a 75-85 kg rider is on 12 m for the 12-18 knot anticyclonic days and for the 15-18 knot afternoon thermal, 9 m once a front pushes it past 20, and 7 m or smaller on the 25-30 knot depression days that make up much of the winter count.The bay is sheltered rather than open ocean, so expect less at the water than an offshore forecast promises.
Direction to shore
southerly winds are the sea-wind sector for this bay beach; the exact side-on or onshore mapping is unconfirmed
Dominant direction
S, SW, SE
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan63
- Feb53
- Mar79
- Apr65
- May71
- Jun58
- Jul60
- Aug58
- Sep52
- Oct52
- Nov58
- Dec71
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
- 63%Jan10°
- 53%Feb10°
- 79%Mar11°
- 65%Apr13°
- 71%May15°
- 58%Jun18°
- 60%Jul17°
- 58%Aug18°
- 52%Sep18°
- 52%Oct17°
- 58%Nov14°
- 71%Dec12°
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% | 82% | 77% | 19.3 kt | SW | 14:00 | 7.3°C | 10.4°C | 62 |
| Feb | 53% | 75% | 68% | 16.3 kt | NE | 14:00 | 8.8°C | 10.2°C | 57 |
| Mar | 79% | 92% | 87% | 20 kt | WSW | 14:00 | 9.9°C | 11°C | 62 |
| Apr | 65% | 88% | 82% | 17.2 kt | W | 15:00 | 11.2°C | 12.5°C | 60 |
| May | 71% | 89% | 85% | 16 kt | NNE | 16:00 | 14.7°C | 15.3°C | 62 |
| Jun | 58% | 85% | 78% | 14.6 kt | W | 17:00 | 17.8°C | 17.8°C | 60 |
| Jul | 60% | 79% | 69% | 15.7 kt | W | 17:00 | 18.6°C | 17°C | 62 |
| Aug | 58% | 79% | 71% | 15 kt | W | 16:00 | 19.3°C | 18.4°C | 62 |
| Sep | 52% | 75% | 68% | 15.4 kt | W | 15:00 | 17.3°C | 18.3°C | 60 |
| Oct | 52% | 71% | 68% | 16.6 kt | WSW | 13:00 | 15.2°C | 17.1°C | 62 |
| Nov | 58% | 83% | 77% | 19.8 kt | W | 13:00 | 11.9°C | 14.3°C | 60 |
| Dec | 71% | 84% | 81% | 19 kt | W | 14:00 | 8.8°C | 11.6°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
bay
Standing depth
Shallow over the rideable area, which is why the usable window is the bottom half of the tide, mid down to low. No measured depth or standing profile has been published, so read shallow as relative: it tells you the sand shelves out gently at low water, not that you can put your feet down wherever you go down.At high water the sea comes up to the beach and the problem changes from depth to launch room.
Tides
Mid tide to low tide is the usable window; some ride it at all tides, but at high water with onshore wind there is little room to launch.
Temperature
16-19°C summer · 9-11°C winter
Wetsuit
3/2 or a shorty in summer, 4/3 in the shoulder seasons, 5/3 with booties in winter.
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
5 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: medium at lower tide; restricted at high tide
Somewhere else
Plage des Sables Blancs, 5 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Rideable from mid tide to low tide, with rocks on both sides. Access is on the left part of the beach; high tide can leave little space for takeoff when the wind is onshore.
Space
medium at lower tide; restricted at high tide
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Read the current Carnac municipal order and the beach signs before planning to launch from the sand; under the 2018 order it is not allowed.
- If you do ride it, go mid tide to low tide from the left end of the beach; at high tide with sea wind there is no safe rigging room.
- Watch the rocks off both ends of the beach, especially coming back in at low water.
- When Carnac is closed, drive to Plouharnel or Erdeven on the ocean side, or book a boat-supported session with a school.
- Wing foil is not caught by the Carnac restriction, which is how the local schools keep people on the water in the commune during the closed period.
- The afternoon thermal is the one regime that behaves predictably here, and it runs stronger at Carnac than at the neighbouring beaches.
Getting there
Airport
Lorient Bretagne-Sud Airport or Nantes-Atlantique International Airport
Route
By car, RN165 from Nantes or RN24 then RN166 from Rennes; public transport via BreizhGo or MobiBreizh.
Transfer
95 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Many campsites in the commune of Carnac; the Baie de Quiberon tourist office has the rest.
No-wind days
Carnac megaliths, Baie de Quiberon beaches, surfing on the Plouharnel ocean side, cycling and island/coastal visits.
Photos
FAQ
Is Grande Plage de Carnac suitable for beginners?
No, this atlas record treats it as unsuitable for independent beginners because of restricted beach access, limited high-tide launch room and rocks on both sides.
What is the wind like at Grande Plage de Carnac?
Working directions are S, SW and SE, with speeds ranging widely from about 12 to over 30 knots depending on the regional weather pattern.
How does the tide affect Grande Plage de Carnac?
The beach is usable from mid tide to low tide, with rocks on both sides; high tide can leave little launch room when the wind is onshore.
Are there rules at Grande Plage de Carnac?
Sources conflict: a 2018 municipal order is quoted as an all-year kitesurf ban on all Carnac beaches, while other 2026 school sources describe it as a summer-only restriction from July to the end of August.
Last updated: August 2026