Oléron – Grand-Village Plage

Le Grand-Village-Plage · Charente-Maritime · France

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Oléron – Grand-Village Plage (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/grand-village.

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Grand-Village Plage is the open sand beach break at the end of the road through the forest from Le Grand-Village, part of the long run of beach between Vert Bois and Saint-Trojan. It offers rights and lefts over shifting sandbars and is usually much quieter than Vert Bois to the north. On an ordinary swell it suits all levels, but in east to north-east winds the waves stand up steep and hollow, and at high tide the shorebreak can be heavy with a strong current running along the beach. Sources say it holds a good-sized swell.

Level
Beginners
Break
Beach break, sand
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Quiet
Season
autumn, winter, spring, summer
Boards
Foam boards and longboards on small days, a shortboard when it is hollow.

When it works

✓ A west to south-west swell of one to two metres with an east to north-east wind around mid tide on the rise.

When it doesn't

✕ Onshore westerly wind, or a large swell at high tide when the shorebreak dumps and the drift is strong.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • currents
  • shorebreak

Best months

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

Local tips

Mid tide on the rise is the usual window; beginners do better away from high tide, when the shorebreak and the longshore current are at their strongest. A wreck lies on the beach to the south towards Saint-Trojan, and kitesurfers use the stretch beyond it, so keep clear of kite lines there. If it is empty here and crowded at Vert Bois, it is often worth walking a few hundred metres to find your own bank.

Getting there

After the Oléron bridge follow signs for Saint-Trojan, then Grand-Village, and turn right for Grand-Village Plage; the road ends at the beach, with a walk of under five minutes over the dune.

Travel notes

How often it works
Surf-forecast calls it pretty consistent, and it can work at any time of year. A west to south-west swell is best.
Crowd and vibe
Even with waves, it is rarely crowded. If Vert Bois is packed, this is often the quieter choice.
Camping and vans
St-Tro Park in Saint-Trojan-les-Bains and Camping Les Embruns in Le Château-d'Oléron are about 4.5 km away. Nearest campsite about 4.5 km away.
Facilities
The road ends at a beach car park. The nearby Vert-Bois and Saint-Trojan beaches have summer lifeguards and toilets.
Water quality
We found no monitoring point on this beach. The two nearest, Vert-Bois and Saint-Trojan Grande Plage, about 2 km away, were rated good every season from 2022 to 2025. Surf-forecast lists pollution as a hazard here, without details.

Ideal conditions

Swell
WSW–WNW best, SW–NW works
Size
1.2–2.2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.8 m, holds to 3 m
Period
9 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore NNE–ESE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid best, avoid low, 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 Charente-Maritime · All spots

Sources