Map › France › La Tranche-sur-Mer (Vendée) › Plage de Plaisance

Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Ile d'Oleron, Charente-Maritime · Charente-Maritime · Saint-Georges-d'Oleron

Plage de Plaisance

also known as Plaisance Oleron, Le Douhet, Zone de kitesurf Le Douhet, Plage du Douhet

beginner-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 Plage de la Gautrelle 2 km · Boyardville 6 km · Chatelaillon-Plage 19 km · Rivedoux Plage Nord 19 km · Aytre Plage 20 km · Banc du Bucheron 29 km · La Faute-sur-Mer - Pointe d'Arcay 32 km · Bonne Anse 35 km · La Tranche-sur-Mer 40 km · Le Veillon 56 km · Bretignolles-sur-Mer - Plage des Dunes 2 79 km · straight-line distance

Seasonno season namedthe months riders and schools name How windyno knot figure publishedmixed LaunchAbout 200 m of usable beach in the kite zone; once you are off the sand the bay opens up.access rules on record, below Watersea20.6°C in summer · 10 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools4named at this spot From the airport70 minRochelle - Ile de Re Airport (LRH)

When it fills in

A light NE thermal reportedly gives morning sessions on Oleron's east coast, Plaisance included; how often, and at what hour it fades, is unconfirmed.

Plage de Plaisance, signed at the beach as the Le Douhet kite zone, is the sheltered east-coast option on Oleron, right beside Port du Douhet in the Pertuis d'Antioche.

It works in NW, N, NE and E; the local schools teach here when the wind has north or east in it, and on some summer mornings a light NE thermal reportedly gives an early session.

Low tide is the good tide: the water goes flat, small standing-depth lagoons form on the sand, foilers find enough depth off to the right, and mid-tide brings sandbank chop instead.

Too much north in the wind and the first 200 m off the beach turn turbulent in the lee of the harbour, which is when people drive round to La Gautrelle.

In July and August the kite zone is the northern end of the beach, on your left from the access, takeoff on the port side; you stay inside it and 300 m clear of the supervised bathing rectangle, and the zone runs without the bathing restriction from 24/08/2026 to 31/12/2026. Bring a full suit most of the year, the water is about 20-21 C in summer and under 10 C in winter.

Best months and typical wind strength are unconfirmed; nobody has published station data for this beach.

The wind

Direction

cross-onNW

Character

mixed

fills in: A light NE thermal reportedly gives morning sessions on Oleron's east coast, Plaisance included; how often, and at what hour it fades, is unconfirmed.

Generally sheltered from Atlantic northwest swell; too much north in the wind can create turbulence near Port du Douhet in the first 200 m from shore.

Nobody has published a best-month list for this beach; the local material is about summer zoning and keeping kites clear of bathers, not about when it blows.

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Dominant direction

NW, N, NE, E

Forecast

Month by month

Jan76
Feb66
Mar81
Apr77
May86
Jun72
Jul80
Aug72
Sep73
Oct78
Nov83
Dec81

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

16Jan10°
15Feb9°
16Mar11°
15Apr14°
14May17°
13Jun20°
13Jul21°
13Aug22°
14Sep21°
16Oct19°
18Nov15°
17Dec11°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	76%	16 kt	ENE	7.8°C	9.7°C
Feb	66%	15.1 kt	W	9°C	9.3°C
Mar	81%	16.3 kt	S	10.7°C	10.7°C
Apr	77%	15.2 kt	WSW	12.3°C	13.7°C
May	86%	14.3 kt	NE	16.1°C	16.9°C
Jun	72%	12.9 kt	NW	19.2°C	20.4°C
Jul	80%	13.3 kt	NW	20.5°C	21.2°C
Aug	72%	13.2 kt	NNW	21.2°C	22.3°C
Sep	73%	13.8 kt	WSW	19°C	21.1°C
Oct	78%	16.1 kt	WSW	17.2°C	18.7°C
Nov	83%	18.4 kt	W	13°C	14.5°C
Dec	81%	16.7 kt	SSW	9.4°C	10.7°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

sea

Standing depth

Plaisance is shallow at both low and high tide; at low water small standing-depth lagoons form on the sand.

Tides

The water is more easily navigable at low tide, and small standing-depth lagoons form on the sand then. A large sandbank sits off the beach and shifts from year to year, so at low water the walk out to usable depth can be long, and foiling is easier on the high tide, which also opens the left-hand part of the basin.Mid-tide brings sandbank chop and small entry-level waves. The east side is sheltered from northwest swell at any tide height.

Temperature

20.6°C summer · 9.7°C winter

Wetsuit

Use a full suit most of the year; summer water around La Rochelle averages about 20-21 C, while winter averages under 10 C.

9–22°C water

Sheltered sandy beach beside Port du Douhet on the north-east coast of Oleron, inside the Pertuis d'Antioche. In summer it is a family bathing beach, with the harbour and its restaurants a few minutes' walk away.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Officially any level can ride Le Douhet, and the schools use it as a teaching beach on the sheltered coast. Two caveats: the turbulence in the lee of the harbour when the wind goes north, and the summer zone, which you are expected to know before you rig.

The scene

What riders come here for

learningfreeridefoilshallow-water practice

Teaching and freeride beach shared with families; in summer you will be asked to be polite with bathers wandering into the marked zone, and the local club expects it.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: About 200 m of usable beach in the kite zone; once you are off the sand the bay opens up.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Plage de la Gautrelle, 2 km

Plage de la Gautrelle Boyardville Chatelaillon-Plage

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

Rescue

Plaisance is supervised every day through the summer bathing season, with the swimming area marked by red and yellow flags. Outside that period, including the 24/08/2026 to 31/12/2026 window the kite zone is listed for, the beach is unsupervised. No kite-specific rescue was found.

Launch

Park at the Plaisance car park, walk down to the beach and head left, to the northern end, where the Le Douhet kite area is. Takeoff is on the port side and the navigation zone is marked in summer.

Space

About 200 m of usable beach in the kite zone; once you are off the sand the bay opens up.

Hazards riders report 10

Bathing zone forbidden to kites
Possible turbulence when wind is too northerly near Port du Douhet
A few underwater rocks and rock groynes south of the bathing zone
The supervised bathing area is closed to kites, and so is any zone reserved for another activity.
Wind with too much north can be turbulent near Port du Douhet in the first 200 m from shore.
Sandy bottom with some rocky banks.
Rock groynes and submerged rocks south of the bathing zone; they show at lower tide.
Summer bathers may enter or crowd the kite zone in light warm weather.
A large sandbank that moves from year to year: at low water the walk out to usable depth can be long.
The beach is unsupervised outside the summer bathing season.

Rules & access

2026: the Le Douhet kitesurf navigation zone is marked through the summer season, the rules are posted on the panel at the beach entrance, and takeoff is on the port side. In high season a wide kite zone is reserved on the northern part of Plaisance; stay inside it, and keep clear of the supervised bathing area, which is closed to kites between the flags and for 300 m offshore. The zone is open every day from 24/08/2026 to 31/12/2026, with the bathing area unsupervised over that period.

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

Rider tips

Read the panel at the beach entrance before you rig: the summer zone limits and the takeoff side are posted there.
If the wind goes north of NW and the first 200 m feel gusty in the lee of Port du Douhet, drive round to La Gautrelle instead.
Wear booties near the southern end of the beach, where underwater rocks and groynes are exposed at lower tide.
Foil to the right of the zone at low tide, and check the depth on foot first; the lagoons are shallow and it varies.
Come early on warm, light summer days: bathers drift into the kite zone by midday, and the light NE morning thermal reportedly gives a session before that.
Check the tide before a foil session and walk the depth first. The sandbank moves from year to year, and accounts disagree on whether low or high water gives you the water to foil in.
Out of season there are no lifeguards here, so ride with someone.

Getting there

Airport

La Rochelle - Ile de Re Airport (LRH)

Route

Drive onto Oleron over the free bridge and follow Saint-Georges-d'Oleron and Avenue de la Durandiere to Plaisance and Port du Douhet. Regional buses cross the island, and an April-September boat runs from La Rochelle to Boyardville.

Transfer

70 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Stay around Saint-Georges-d'Oleron, Le Douhet, La Bree-les-Bains or Boyardville for closest access; wider holiday rentals, campsites and hotels are spread across Oleron.

No-wind days

Port du Douhet restaurants and boat trips, cycling, Fort Boyard/Ile d'Aix excursions from Boyardville or La Rochelle, beach walks, oyster villages and La Rochelle.

Photos

Mobeye-ÉtéDesVilles-La Brée-les-Bains-168 — Justine, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Plage de Plaisance suitable for beginners?

Yes; the official listing describes it as accessible to all levels, and local sources treat it as a teaching spot on the sheltered east coast of Oléron.

What is the wind like?

Favorable directions are northwest, north, northeast and east, though wind with too much north can turn turbulent near Port du Douhet close to shore.

Is the spot tide-dependent?

Yes; low tide is described as easier to navigate, with small standing-depth lagoons forming at low water.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

A marked kitesurf navigation zone applies in summer, with takeoff on the port side and the area opening after the supervised bathing period ends on 24 August 2026.

What are the main hazards?

The supervised bathing zone is forbidden to kites, some underwater rocks and rock groynes sit south of that zone, and wind with too much north can be turbulent near the port.

Last updated: August 2026