Cap Gris-Nez – Plage de la Sirène

Audinghen · Hauts-de-France · France

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Cap Gris-Nez – Plage de la Sirène (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/cap-gris-nez.

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The Plage de la Sirène is a small north-facing beach under the cliffs on the Wissant side of Cap Gris-Nez, at the western end of the long beach to Wissant. The cape blocks the usual south-westerly wind and the biggest seas, so it is the fallback when everything else is blown out: in big winter gales it can be clean, with sand bars over flat rock peeling for 100 m or more at around 1.5 m, about head high. Some locals call it the best wave in northern France, but it needs a big swell to get going. At high tide the water reaches the boulders and the cliff foot, and with the strong current, rocks and crumbling cliff it is for confident surfers, not learners.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand and rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Quiet
Season
autumn, winter
Boards
Shortboards or step-ups in a solid swell; a longboard can work on the smaller peeling days.

When it works

✓ A big NW to N swell of 1.5 m or more under a strong S to SW wind, which blows offshore here, from mid tide towards high on the rising tide.

When it doesn't

✕ Northerly onshore wind, a small swell that does not wrap in, or the top of a big tide, when the water reaches the boulders and the cliff foot and pushes surfers onto the rocks.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • currents
  • rips

Best months

January, February, March, October, November, December

Local tips

Wait for a big westerly winter gale to send swell and for the wind to settle in the south; that is when the bars line up. Mid tide is the sweet spot. Near high tide the rock ledges and boulders come into play, and they have caused injuries. Keep away from the foot of the cliff, which collapses often. You will often surf alone, so watch the current.

Getting there

From Calais take the D940 towards Boulogne and turn off at Audinghen onto the road out to the cape. The beach is a short walk down from the cliff top, about 33 m above the sea.

History

Cap Gris-Nez is the heart of the Grand Site de France des Deux Caps, a label given in 2011 and renewed over a larger area in 2025.

Travel notes

How often it works
Unreliable. It only works when a big winter west or north-west gale sends in enough swell to bend around the cape. The cliffs block the usual south-west wind, so it can be clean when the rest of the coast is too windy. Summer is nearly always flat.
Crowd and vibe
Rarely crowded even when it is working, and you may surf alone, though more people have surfed it since the 2000s. With strong currents and rocks, it is safer to paddle out with a friend.
Camping and vans
Camping Municipal du Gris-Nez is a small 31-pitch site on rue du Sodit in Audinghen, about 200 m from the sea. Check opening dates directly, as the published ones are old. Nearest campsite about 0.5 km away.
Facilities
The only service is the La Sirène restaurant just above the beach on rue de la Plage, with its own car park. The nearest surf school is in Wissant.
Water quality
Official ARS tests rate Audinghen Centre Plage, the village's monitored beach, as good for 2025. It was only sufficient from 2021 to 2024.

Ideal conditions

Swell
NW–NNE best, WNW–NE works
Size
1.8–3 m offshore swell; starts at 1.5 m, holds to 4 m
Period
6 s minimum, best from 9 s
Wind
Offshore SSE–WSW; handles onshore up to 10 km/h
Tide
mid, high best, on the rising tide
Faces
N (8°)

Live cam

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

Nearby spots

All spots in Hauts-de-France · All spots

Sources