Île de Ré – Le Petit Bec

Les Portes-en-Ré · Charente-Maritime · France

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Île de Ré – Le Petit Bec (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/petit-bec.

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Petit Bec is the beach on the Pointe du Lizay, about a hundred metres west of the Lizay peak, where the Conche des Baleines curves round to the north coast. It is mostly sand with a few rock slabs at the peak and reef along the edge, and it is often said to pick up north-west swell better than anywhere else on the island. The peak gives a quick, punchy left that is hollower and better than the right, which is shorter and tends to close out. It is the most dependable of the three Lizay spots and gets busy on weekends and through the summer.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand and rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Crowded
Season
autumn, winter, spring
Boards
A shortboard or a fish suits the fast left; bring something with more volume on small days.

When it works

✓ A north-west to north swell of one to two and a half metres with a south to south-east wind, between mid tide and high.

When it doesn't

✕ Low tide, when rocks are exposed and the peak goes shallow, or a westerly to northerly onshore wind.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • reef
  • crowds

Best months

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

Local tips

Surf it from mid tide on the push to high; around low tide the slabs and the reef at the edge come into play. Go left if you can, since the right closes out more often. On good days the line-up fills quickly with people paddling straight out from the beach, so arrive early.

Getting there

Follow the signs for Les Portes-en-Ré and the Baleines lighthouse, then from La Rivière take the lane through the Lizay forest to the free beach car parks; the beach is a couple of minutes' walk. Lifeguards cover the bathing area in July and August.

History

The beach is lined with Atlantic Wall bunkers, and scenes from the film The Longest Day were shot here.

Travel notes

How often it works
Surf-forecast calls it pretty consistent, and it can work at any time of year. It picks up north-west swells best.
Crowd and vibe
Weekdays are often empty, but weekends get crowded when it works, and the line-up fills fast. Arrive early.
Camping and vans
Camping Le Phare and Camping Seasonova Île de Ré in Les Portes-en-Ré are about 2.5 km away. Nearest campsite about 2.5 km away.
Facilities
There are free car parks and lifeguards on the swimming area in July and August, but no cafés on the beach.
Water quality
The Couny monitoring point next to the beach was rated good every season from 2022 to 2025, and all ten 2026 samples were good.

Ideal conditions

Swell
WNW–NNW best, W–N works
Size
1–2.2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.8 m, holds to 2.8 m
Period
10 s minimum, best from 13 s
Wind
Offshore SE–SW; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid, high best, avoid low
Faces
NW (313°)

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