Overview

Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez, between Les Salins and Les Becs beaches, is a kitesurf spot on the Vendée coast. West-facing with dominant southwest to northwest winds. Good conditions for beginner to intermediate riders on a wide beach with plenty of launch space. Multiple beaches in this section of coast offer options depending on exact wind direction.

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Spot forecast for Saint-Hilaire de Riez, between Salins and Becs beaches

Sunrise 08:33 · Sunset 19:12

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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 2.2 km from the spot.

Tuesday 20 October High tide 00:25 · 3.3 m Low tide 06:50 · 2.1 m High tide 12:59 · 3.5 m Low tide 19:35 · 1.9 m
Wednesday 21 October High tide 01:48 · 3.5 m Low tide 07:56 · 1.9 m High tide 14:04 · 3.8 m Low tide 20:29 · 1.6 m
Thursday 22 October High tide 02:38 · 3.7 m Low tide 08:45 · 1.6 m High tide 14:48 · 4.1 m Low tide 21:11 · 1.3 m
Friday 23 October High tide 03:16 · 4 m Low tide 09:26 · 1.3 m High tide 15:26 · 4.3 m Low tide 21:49 · 1 m
Saturday 24 October High tide 03:51 · 4.3 m Low tide 10:03 · 1 m High tide 16:03 · 4.6 m Low tide 22:25 · 0.7 m

Saint-Hilaire de Riez, between Salins and Becs beaches: 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

352h

in July · 28 rideable days

The season runs from April to September, peaking in July: 25 rideable days a month and 352 hours of usable wind, at 20 °C. The low point is December, at 16.5 days.

Kiting is forbidden here from 9h to 19h, between 01/07 and 31/08. Juillet-août : zones de baignade à respecter.

Rideable days per month

Month with time restrictions

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 51%13-20 knots · 39%21-30 knots · 9%31+ knots · 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 51% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is January, at 9 °C. The wettest month is January, with 105 mm.

Monthly averages: Saint-Hilaire de Riez, between Salins and Becs beaches

Monthly averages — Saint-Hilaire de Riez, between Salins and Becs beaches — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month	Rideable days	Usable wind	Temperature	Rain
January	17.5	166 h	9 °C	105 mm
February	18.5	200 h	11 °C	74 mm
March	21.0	202 h	13 °C	53 mm
April	23.0	252 h	16 °C	38 mm
May	24.0	303 h	18 °C	44 mm
June	27.5	321 h	22 °C	15 mm
July hours	28.0	352 h	22 °C	25 mm
August hours	26.5	268 h	23 °C	17 mm
September	23.0	249 h	20 °C	90 mm
October	17.5	176 h	18 °C	88 mm
November	19.5	175 h	14 °C	69 mm
December	16.5	144 h	10 °C	56 mm

Photo gallery of Saint-Hilaire de Riez, between Salins and Becs beaches

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Technical details of Saint-Hilaire de Riez, between Salins and Becs beaches spot

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

Depending on conditions: SSE.

RideableDepending on conditions Not rideable

Spot functioning

Park along the road at the Les Mas de Saint-Hilaire residence and walk 700m through the dunes. The dune is high above the beach — assess conditions from the top before going down. Kite zone 300m wide. Session only from mid-tide down. Rocky groyne at south end of zone — stay north of it. Self-organised spot.

Spot opening date · Required level

Spot opening date: Open all year round
Open year-round including summer. Low to mid-tide only — beach too narrow at high tide. 700m walk from parking. Rocky groyne at south end of zone — identify before launching. One of the less crowded spots on the Vendée coast.
Required level: Beginner

On the water

Atlantic beach exposed to swell and waves. Sandy bottom, fairly steep gradient. Wave size 0.3 to 1.2m in westerly conditions. Lateral currents near shore. Rocky groyne at southern end of zone. Session only at low to mid-tide — high tide leaves no beach.

Parking

No parking nearby, you have to park along the road at the 'Les mas de Saint-Hilaire' residence and then walk 700m through the dune.

As the dune is high at the top of the beach, you need to go to the site to see the navigation conditions of the spot.

Wind specificities

South-southwest through northwest is the main window — west and northwest give the best cross-onshore conditions on this south-facing section. The wide open Atlantic fetch delivers clean and powerful wind. Summer thermal west and northwest builds reliably in the afternoons.

Hazards

There is a rock armoring (submerged rock dike) perpendicular to the beach south of the area, clearly visible as it starts from the top of the beach.

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