Almanarre — Presqu'île de Giens21h · 6 kt
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Min. level
Intermediate
Optimal wind
14-32 kts
Season
April, May, June, September, October
Live · now
What to check
Discover the spot
The spot
Discover Almanarre
L'Almanarre is THE legendary playground of French boardsports: nearly 5 km of sand along the route du sel, on the western tombolo of the Giens peninsula, the cradle of French windsurfing and home of the Grand Prix since 1987. In the mistral and a westerly, it's a big ground of chop and waves, alive and steeped in history. One thing to know before you rig: here the offshore wind is the easterly — it pours off the land through the tombolo and irons the water to a mirror, but it sucks you out to sea.
L'Almanarre is a living legend: a high temple of French windsurfing — Erik Thiémé's kingdom and the Funboard Center's, Grand Prix since 1987 — on the western tombolo of Giens, a double formation almost unique in the world. Its soul is a binary wind mechanism, and the whole game is reading it. In the mistral and a westerly, onshore, the sea builds quickly into chop and waves: a joyful battlefield when it blows hard, and the regime where the spot comes alive. In an easterly, everything flips: the wind pours off the land through the tombolo and irons the water to a mirror, but it's offshore, sometimes tops 45 knots and sucks you out to sea — hence the local reflex of switching to Le Mérou, on the east side. In summer the space is squared off: kite between gates 16 and 21, windsurf at the ends, swimming in the middle, a beach marshal on the channel from 15 June to 15 September. The mix is dense, the windsurfers known to be prickly: brush up your priorities. The tide doesn't count, but the posidonia is part of the place — its winter banks shield an eroding tombolo, so you respect them.
Who & when
Level and best time
Who it's for
An intermediate level is needed to ride L'Almanarre on your own. Beginners are pointed to the schools, which launch from the water, or to Le Mérou on the other side of the peninsula, described as more accessible (though with a tight launch area). In an easterly, however, it's an experts-only spot: the wind blows off the land and you get carried out to sea fast. The density of schools, among the highest in France, makes it a great place to progress with supervision.
source : https://letskite.ch (Almanarre) ↗Best time
The engine is the mistral and the westerly (W/WNW), onshore to side-on: the water turns choppy quickly, with good waves when it blows hard — freeride and wave conditions. At Hyères the wind very often comes from the north-west; in spring it tends to swing easterly. An easterly flattens the water to a mirror, but it's offshore (see safety). The beach works year-round, with water from 13 to 25 °C depending on the season; for riding, May, June and September are the favourite months, away from the peak-summer crowds.
source : zoomkite.com ↗On site
Arrival guide
Strict zoning: channel and gates 16-21
Kiting at Hyères is governed by a municipal bylaw (no. 960, 9 June 2021) and a préfecture order (no. 019/2018). Riding is banned within the 300 m strip along the shore, outside the commune's two towed-board (PNT) channels: the Mérou channel and the Almanarre channel. Confident riders may launch from the shore only from these channels; beginners must start from the water via a school. The recommended kite zone in a westerly sits between gates 16 and 21 of the route du sel, buoyed in season; off-season, the whole bay is open. Windsurfing keeps the ends, swimming occupies the space between the zones.
source : PDF officiel hyeres.fr « Règles pour la bonne pratique du kitesurf à Hyères » (arrêté n°960 ↗Access and beach
Access via the D559 from Toulon, Toulon-Hyères airport about 7 km away, parking along the route du sel — which can close off-season and in heavy weather. The beach is narrow, nearly 5 km of sand, with the road right behind the wooden fencing: launch space is tight. The Pesquiers salt flats, a protected wetland of the double tombolo (flamingos), stretch just behind: don't fly or drop your kite over them.
source : zoomkite.com ↗Before you go
Safety
Easterly: offshore, experts only
Hazard number one is the easterly (E/ENE) — and it's counter-intuitive. L'Almanarre is on the western coast of the peninsula: in an easterly the wind pours off the land, crosses the tombolo and heads straight out to sea. The water turns to a deceptive mirror, sometimes 45 knots and more, and you get carried off the shore fast — expert level, full stop. The safe engine is the opposite: the onshore regime of the mistral and the westerly. When the easterly sets in, the locals switch to Le Mérou, on the other side of the peninsula. At the slightest easterly component: caution, a margin, and never alone.
source : https://letskite.ch (Almanarre) ↗Zoning and shared use
Riding is banned within the 300 m strip along the shore, except in the PNT channels (Mérou and Almanarre); speed there is capped at 5 knots, no jumps and no loitering near the shore, and a buffer zone borders each channel, off-limits to kites and swimmers alike. The buoyed kite zone is reserved for riders. The spot is very busy, shared with historic windsurfing: when paths cross, the starboard-tack kite has right of way, and the rider launching from the beach has priority. A beach marshal oversees the channel from 15 June to 15 September — follow their instructions.
source : PDF officiel hyeres.fr « Règles pour la bonne pratique du kitesurf à Hyères » (arrêté n°960 ↗Narrow beach, posidonia, theft
The beach is narrow, the road right behind the fencing: launch and land with your hand on the release, and you mustn't stand still or work your kite on the sand without an immediate intention to ride. The bottom is sand, no rocks reported in the kite zone, but the water gets deep quickly on the Almanarre side. The posidonia meadow protects the tombolo: respect the banks of dead leaves in winter. Finally, break-ins to cars and vans are common — leave nothing visible or valuable.
source : https://letskite.ch (Almanarre) ↗Community
Soon, by the riders
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Session reports (east/west wind regime, gates 16-21 buoying, channel state)
Is the Almanarre channel buoyed and the beach marshal on duty right now?