Overview

Royan is a kitesurf spot at the mouth of the Gironde estuary on the Charente coast. The beach faces west-southwest receiving Atlantic winds. The estuary creates specific tidal conditions — strong currents, especially on spring tides. A picturesque urban beach spot with all services in the famous Art Déco resort town. The ferry crossing to Le Verdon is visible from the water.

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Spot forecast for Royan

Sunrise 08:27 · Sunset 19:10

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< 7 kn7–12 kn13–20 kn21–30 kn31–40 kn41+ kn Gusts Your minimum: 7 kn

Forecasts provided by Open-Meteo

Swell and waves

Swell and tides over 8 days. Premium members see the swell and tides over 8 days. Without a subscription: 5 days.

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Wave height: < 0.5 m 0.5–1 m 1–2 m 2–3 m ≥ 3 m

Swell data by Open-Meteo Marine

Tides

Heights above lowest astronomical tide, in the spot's local time. Computed 6.2 km from the spot.

Tuesday 20 October High tide 00:37 · 3.8 m Low tide 07:39 · 2.4 m High tide 13:04 · 4.1 m Low tide 20:21 · 2.1 m
Wednesday 21 October High tide 01:39 · 4 m Low tide 08:42 · 2.1 m High tide 14:01 · 4.3 m Low tide 21:10 · 1.7 m
Thursday 22 October High tide 02:32 · 4.3 m Low tide 09:27 · 1.7 m High tide 14:52 · 4.6 m Low tide 21:50 · 1.4 m
Friday 23 October High tide 03:21 · 4.6 m Low tide 10:05 · 1.3 m High tide 15:38 · 4.9 m Low tide 22:26 · 1 m
Saturday 24 October High tide 04:05 · 4.9 m Low tide 10:41 · 1 m High tide 16:22 · 5.2 m Low tide 23:01 · 0.7 m

Royan: when to go?

Rideable days and hours computed for a minimum wind of 7 knots · log in to set your own (foil, twin-tip…)

Season · peak

245h

in June · 27 rideable days

The season runs from April to September, peaking in June: 24 rideable days a month and 245 hours of usable wind, at 23 °C. The low point is December, at 9 days.

Rideable days per month

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 82%13-20 knots · 17%21-30 knots · 1%31+ knots · under 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 82% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is January, at 10 °C. The wettest month is February, with 106 mm.

Monthly averages: Royan

Monthly averages — Royan — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month	Rideable days	Usable wind	Temperature	Rain
January	16.0	131 h	10 °C	87 mm
February	12.0	99 h	12 °C	106 mm
March	15.5	130 h	14 °C	72 mm
April	21.0	191 h	18 °C	61 mm
May	25.0	262 h	20 °C	57 mm
June	27.0	245 h	25 °C	48 mm
July	27.0	260 h	26 °C	17 mm
August	26.0	181 h	27 °C	35 mm
September	19.0	179 h	22 °C	99 mm
October	13.5	115 h	19 °C	65 mm
November	11.0	76 h	15 °C	71 mm
December	9.0	68 h	11 °C	60 mm

Photo gallery of Royan

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Technical details of Royan spot

The spot works with winds from N, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW.

Depending on conditions: NNE, S.

RideableDepending on conditions Not rideable

Spot functioning

Launch from the main Royan beach. Best conditions in southwest to northwest wind at mid to high tide. Monitor tidal currents carefully — they can be very strong at the estuary mouth during spring tides. Port navigation traffic to watch for. Self-organised spot.

Spot opening date · Required level

Spot opening date: Open all year round
Open year-round. Best season: May to October. The ferry Royan-Le Verdon runs year-round — check schedules for navigation awareness. Busy beach in summer — early sessions recommended.
Required level: Intermediate

On the water

Estuary mouth with significant tidal currents up to 3-4 knots on spring tides. Sandy beach with moderate chop of 0.3 to 0.8m in southwest to northwest wind. Swell dampened by the estuary geometry compared to open Atlantic beaches. Tidal range up to 5m — beach width varies enormously between tides.

Wind specificities

Southwest to northwest winds are most reliable at Royan, building on Atlantic systems and summer thermal cycle. North wind is also usable. The estuary mouth can create wind acceleration or shadow effects depending on direction. The city buildings may cause some turbulence close to shore — move out towards the Gironde for cleaner air.

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ROYAN-MEDIS3.6 kmsource meteofrance

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Additional stations

Vensac23.3 km

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source infoclimat
MAC1716.9 km

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source Pioupiou

All the details of your session on windtracker.app

Webcams near Royan

Webcams provided by Windy.com

Schools, shops and places to stay nearby

Directory: France

Nearby spots

All spots: Nouvelle-Aquitaine

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Royan kitesurf, wingfoil and windsurf spot