Belle-Île – Donnant

Sauzon · Morbihan · France

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Belle-Île – Donnant (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/belle-ile-donnant.

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Donnant is Belle-Île's main surf beach, a 350-metre cove on the wild west coast backed by some of the highest dunes in Brittany. Facing the open Atlantic, it picks up almost every swell from south-west to north-west and is surfable on a large share of the year's days, with waves that can reach three metres. Sand over flat rock shelves gives defined rights and a left that runs towards the channel by the cliffs. It is known as one of the best bodyboarding beaches in Brittany, and the island's surf schools all work here.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand and rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
autumn, winter, spring, summer
Boards
Shortboard or bodyboard in autumn and winter, a longboard or mini-mal for small summer waves and for learning.

When it works

✓ A west to south-west swell of 1 to 2 metres with east to north-east wind, from mid tide towards high on the push.

When it doesn't

✕ Westerly or south-westerly wind, which blows straight in and is common here, or large swells, when the currents along the rocks become dangerous.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • currents
  • rocks
  • shorebreak
  • localism

Best months

January, February, March, April, September, October, November, December

Local tips

Strong currents run towards the rocks on both sides of the cove, and they have been fatal; the local advice is to favour the higher tide and stay in the middle of the beach. At high tide a large rock splits the beach in two. The shorebreak can be heavy for beginners, and the regulars are a tight island crowd, so arrive with a low profile.

Getting there

Take the ferry from Quiberon to Le Palais, then drive across the island; Donnant is reached from Bangor via Petit-Cosquet or from Sauzon via the Menhir Jean, with car parks above the dunes and rocks and a footpath down to the sand. Lifeguards cover a marked swimming zone in July and August.

Travel notes

How often it works
It is a consistent beach that faces the open ocean and picks up most swells, though summer is often flat. It can hold waves up to about 3 m.
Crowd and vibe
Weekdays are quiet, but weekends get crowded when there are waves, and the island's surf schools all use it. Wannasurf describes a friendly line-up where surfers chat together.
Camping and vans
The municipal Camping de Pen-Prad in Sauzon is about 5 km away. Camping de l'Océan and Camping de Bordeneo near Le Palais are about 6 km away. Nearest campsite about 5 km away.
Facilities
There is a big car park, summer toilets and a lifeguard post that watches a marked swimming zone in July and August.
Water quality
The Port Donnant monitoring point was rated good every season from 2022 to 2025, and all eight 2026 samples were good.

Ideal conditions

Swell
SW–WNW best, SSW–NW works
Size
1–2.2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.6 m, holds to 3 m
Period
8 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore NE–ESE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid, high best, on the rising tide
Faces
WSW (255°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

Nearby spots

All spots in Morbihan · All spots

Sources