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Hauts-de-France · Nord, Cote d'Opale · Nord · Gravelines

Gravelines - La Petite Mer

also known as Petite Mer, Gravelines, Petit-Fort-Philippe

lagoonbeginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Dunkerque - Malo-les-Bains 22 km · De Panne 35 km · Wissant 35 km · straight-line distance

Seasonno season namedthe months riders and schools name How windy20-28 knotsmixed Launchlarge when the lagoon is formed; time-limited by tideaccess rules on record, below Waterlagoon18°C in summer · 8 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport65 minLille-Lesquin (LIL)

When it fills in

There is no dependable daily onset. Most of the wind is depression-driven and can arrive at any hour, day or night; in summer a sea breeze adds to it and builds through the afternoon. What sets your session time is the tide: the lagoon exists for roughly two to three hours around high water, so you work backwards from the tide table.

La Petite Mer is a lagoon that only exists for part of the day. Behind the sandbank at Petit-Fort-Philippe, on the Gravelines seafront, the tide floods a shallow flat pool on big coefficients, and you get about 2 to 3 hours around high water to ride it; pick a small coefficient or the wrong hour and there is no lagoon, just beach.

At high tide you can stand in it, which is why the Station Nautique and the local school teach beginners here, and why weekends get crowded in that short window.

The regional wind is southwest, which can be gusty, and anything from WSW round to ENE is safe to sail; in a northeast wind the current and the wind together push you toward the seawall, so keep a margin.

Outside the flat there is open-sea freeride and waves, and La Stele down the coast, where you stay clear of the nuclear-plant discharge canal; the chenal carries boat traffic and current. Winter is 7-9 m kites in a full suit, summer often 12 m or bigger, in water that averages about 18-19 C.

A 2026 municipal order keeps kites out of the zone west of the Petit-Fort-Philippe bathing area in July and August and sends them east of it, at least 100 m past the bathing zone's east limit.

The wind

Direction

cross-shore

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: There is no dependable daily onset. Most of the wind is depression-driven and can arrive at any hour, day or night; in summer a sea breeze adds to it and builds through the afternoon. What sets your session time is the tide: the lagoon exists for roughly two to three hours around high water, so you work backwards from the tide table.

Typical strength

Nothing measures the lagoon itself. The nearest long-run station, at the airport 12 km down the coast, averages 11 knots from the WSW over the year with all hours counted, which is an indicative figure and not a session figure. Read back from the kites people rig here, a winter depression session for a 75-85 kg rider works out around 20-28 knots, a summer sea-breeze session around 13-18.

Best in the flat-water window; SW can be gusty.

Wind blows pretty much all year, with winter depressions and summer thermals; usability of La Petite Mer itself depends strongly on tide height and coefficient.

The quiver, in words

Winter sessions are usually on 7-9 m, summer often 12 m or larger; kite size here is hard to generalise, so check the forecast.

Direction to shore

Safe sailing from WSW round to ENE; SW is side-shore at La Stele and can be gusty.

Dominant direction

SW is reported as the regional dominant wind.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan74
Feb84
Mar75
Apr78
May65
Jun73
Jul70
Aug69
Sep62
Oct77
Nov76
Dec74

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

16Jan8°
17Feb8°
15Mar9°
16Apr11°
13May14°
13Jun17°
14Jul19°
13Aug20°
13Sep19°
14Oct16°
16Nov13°
16Dec9°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	74%	16.1 kt	SW	6.1°C	8.2°C
Feb	84%	17.4 kt	WSW	7.7°C	8.1°C
Mar	75%	14.6 kt	SW	8.4°C	8.8°C
Apr	78%	15.6 kt	SW	9.8°C	10.8°C
May	65%	12.7 kt	WSW	13.3°C	14°C
Jun	73%	13.3 kt	NE	16.3°C	17.1°C
Jul	70%	13.9 kt	WSW	18.2°C	19.1°C
Aug	69%	13 kt	SW	19°C	20.2°C
Sep	62%	13 kt	SW	17°C	19.4°C
Oct	77%	14.1 kt	SW	14.1°C	16.2°C
Nov	76%	15.6 kt	SW	9.8°C	12.5°C
Dec	74%	16.1 kt	WSW	7.2°C	9.3°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

lagoon

Standing depth

Shallow; a flat spot where you can stand at high tide.

Tides

Tidal lagoon forms around high tide on large coefficients, with a 2 to 3 hour window around high tide and coefficient dependence.

Temperature

18°C summer · 8°C winter

Wetsuit

Full wetsuit year-round for most riders; summer water averages around 18-19 C and winter is cold.

Currents

NNE and NE wind plus the current push you toward the seawall; the chenal next door has current and boat traffic.

8–20°C water

Fine sand and shallow water at high tide on large coefficients; flat-water lagoon behind a sandbank, with open-sea wave/freeride options outside the flat area.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

The Station Nautique and the La Petite Mer school teach beginners and progression in the shallow high-tide lagoon; beginners learn in it and advanced riders use it for flat-water freestyle.

The scene

What riders come here for

learningflat waterfreeridefreestylewingfoil

Learning and flat-water spot; weekends are reportedly very crowded in the tide window.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: large when the lagoon is formed; time-limited by tide

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Dunkerque - Malo-les-Bains, 22 km

Dunkerque - Malo-les-Bains De Panne Wissant

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

VHF channel 16

No lifeguard post and no kite rescue on the lagoon. School sessions are watched from the beach and instructors keep radio contact with students through headsets. For anything at sea the call is 196 from a phone, or VHF channel 16, which reaches the CROSS; 112 covers a problem inside a supervised bathing area.

Launch

Sandy shallow-water spot at 1 Boulevard de l'Est, Petit-Fort-Philippe/Gravelines, using the lagoon that forms around high tide.

Space

large when the lagoon is formed; time-limited by tide

Rules & access

2026 Gravelines permanent beach order (Arrete permanent du Maire n 2026PERM020, 17 June 2026): during the July-August supervised bathing period, kitesurfing is forbidden in the zone west of the Petit-Fort-Philippe bathing zone (ZURB), which is reserved for human-powered craft, continuing a standing 1999 ban on kitesurf west of the bathing zone; kitesurfing is allowed in the zone east of the ZURB; outside the bathing zone, kitesurfers must stay at least 100 m east of the ZURB's east limit (30 m for paddle or kayak craft); a 5-knot speed limit applies year-round within the 300 m coastal band. Summer bathing zones are to be respected.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Check the tide table and the coefficient first: without a big coefficient and the 2 to 3 hour window around high water there is no lagoon to ride.
Get there before high water on weekends; everyone rides the same short window.
In NE wind, keep well off the seawall; wind and current both push you onto it.
In July and August, rig east of the Petit-Fort-Philippe bathing zone and stay at least 100 m past its east limit.
Keep out of the chenal, which has boat traffic and current, and never go near the discharge canal at La Stele.

Getting there

Airport

Lille-Lesquin (LIL)

Route

Road access via Gravelines/Petit-Fort-Philippe is simplest with kite gear; Gravelines is connected from Dunkerque by DK'BUS lines and from Lille by SNCF services.

Transfer

65 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Hotels, rentals and campsites in Gravelines, Petit-Fort-Philippe, Grand-Fort-Philippe and nearby Dunkerque/Calais.

No-wind days

Gravelines Vauban fortifications · PAarc des Rives de l'Aa · beach walks · Dunkerque museums · Calais day trip

Photos

La plage de Petit-Fort-Philippe - panoramio — Jean Marc Gfp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is La Petite Mer suitable for beginners?

Yes, the local school and Station Nautique describe the shallow high-tide lagoon as suitable for initiation and progression.

How does the tide affect La Petite Mer?

The flat lagoon only forms behind the sandbank around high tide on large coefficients, giving a rideable window of about two to three hours.

What is the wind like at La Petite Mer?

Southwest is reported as the regional dominant wind, with safe navigation from WSW to ENE; NNE/NE wind and current can push riders toward the seawall.

Are there rules at La Petite Mer?

A 2026 municipal beach order prohibits kitesurf west of the Petit-Fort-Philippe bathing zone, and riders are asked to respect bathing zones in summer.

Is there a kite school at La Petite Mer?

Yes, La Petite Mer - Ecole de Kite & Wing Gravelines teaches kitesurf and wingfoil lessons on site.

Last updated: August 2026