With a huge area to rig up and shallow water for a good way out, l’Espiguette is a great spot for beginners. Despite the dominant summer south-westerlies, you need to be wary of the wind switching to offshore. The 600 m trek across the sand means you won’t see many windsurfers.
Freeride
Freestyle
Wave Riding
Huge 10 km beach. Reliable wind. Summer kitesurfing permitted.
600 m hike to the launch spot. Pay to park in summer.
Spot Information
Spot Type
Beach
Best Wind
SE,S,SW,W,NW
Rider Level
Beginner-Intermediate
Style
Freeride
Best Time of Year
Year round
Summer Water Temp
22°C > 25°C
Winter Water Temp
11°C > 14°C
Hazards:
Strong current when the Rhône is high.
Highlights
Wind Forecast
What’s the wind forecast at l’Espiguette beach over the next 5 days?
Google Map
Practical Information
Nearest Town
Le Grau-du-Roi
Nearest Airport
Montpellier (33 min)
Latitude/Longitude
43.488010
-
4.142118
Parking
There's plenty of parking at the beach, although there's a €6 per day charge in the summer holiday season. Campervans beware, 2 m height restrictions apply.
Tourist Office
Office de Tourisme du Grau-du-Roi
30 Rue Michel Redares
30240 Le Grau-du-Roi
France
Phone: +33 (0)4 66 51 67 70
Web: www.vacances-en-camargue.com
Email: ot-legrauduroi@vacancesaugrauduroi.com
Spot Description
L’Espiguette is an excellent spot with straightforward kiting conditions and plenty of space along the 10 km beach. Being an official kite zone, it can get busy in the summer.
Accessing the spot
From the carpark there’s a good 600 m of sand to walk across before reaching the kite spot. Walk up the beach, with the sea on your right, until you reach the sign that marks the end of the supervised area. Drop your stuff and have a well-deserved drink!
Water conditions
You can touch the bottom until you’re nearly 200 m out, and even further out than that, you’ll notice some sandbanks just under the surface. The sea is generally pretty calm and there’s little in the way of hazards except for a strong current if heavy rainfall swells the Rhône.
L’Espiguette is ideal for kitesurfing. The beach is immense with no obstructions making it suitable for kitesurfers of all abilities. The beach is 10 km long and 6-700 m wide; plenty of space to rig up and get to grips with flying your kite.
In summer, the swimmers and sunbathers concentrate around the lifeguard tower. A supervised swimming zone extends for 500 m up the beach. Kiting is restricted to areas outside of this zone. The lifeguards patrol up and down the beach, but they’re a friendly bunch, so if in doubt just ask, they’ll be pleased to point you in the right direction.
Wind conditions
L’Espiguette is renowned for its summertime south-westerly thermal wind. From May onwards, the wind picks up towards midday and on hot days can reach 16 knots. L’Espiguette is kiteable in almost any wind direction. From Autumn to spring, the tramontana north-westerly hits this spot occasionally and the more westerly it is, the bigger the waves. In strong winds, 1 metre waves are possible. A north to north-westerly Mistral regularly sweep through as well, but it blows off-shore and doesn’t generate any waves. In winter, you can also get a south to south-easterly low-pressure wind.
l'Espiguette Kitesurfing Gallery
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