Plouhinec – Gwendrez

Plouhinec · Finistère Sud · France

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Gwendrez, Breton for 'white strand', is a sand-and-rock beach on the Plouhinec coast, on the north shore of the Baie d'Audierne. The open beach has peaks both ways that often close out. The wave locals rate is a left off the rocks at the western end: it works only now and then, but then it is fast, powerful and hollow, and big days bring heavy wedges and a punishing shorebreak that draw bodyboarders.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand and rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Some company
Season
autumn, winter, spring
Boards
A shortboard or bodyboard; a fish on smaller days.

When it works

✓ A 1.2–2.2 m W to SW swell with a north-easterly wind, around mid tide.

When it doesn't

✕ Onshore south-westerlies, or a swell too big for the bay, when it closes out and the shorebreak turns heavy.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • rips
  • currents
  • shorebreak

Best months

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

Local tips

The beach peaks are rarely better than elsewhere in the bay, so check whether the left by the rocks is breaking. Rips and currents get stronger as the swell builds, and on big days it is no place for beginners or children. There is no shelter from cross-shore winds, so it needs a true north-easterly to be clean.

Getting there

Take the small coast road rather than the main road; there is parking a few minutes' walk from the beach. Lifeguards cover it in July and August, and the Menez-Dregan prehistoric site is close by.

Travel notes

How often it works
Picks up most west to south-west swells from about 1–1.5 m, but the beach waves often break all at once (close out). The best wave, a left by the rocks, only works now and then. It needs a clean swell and a true north-east wind.
Crowd and vibe
Usually empty or nearly so, on weekdays and weekends alike. The beach waves are rarely better than elsewhere in the bay. When the left by the rocks works, treat it with care: it is fast and heavy.
Camping and vans
Camping de Kersiny-Plage, by the sea towards Audierne (open late March to November), is about 2.5 km west. Camping La Corniche in Plozévet is about 4–5 km east. Plozévet allows free overnight parking, with no services, at its Menhir and Gored car parks. Nearest campsite about 2.5 km away.
Facilities
Free parking and a first-aid post with lifeguards in July and August (13:00–19:00); sources disagree on toilets or showers. Plouhinec has two surf schools, École de surf 4.6.1 and Soul Surfing Skol.
Water quality
Gwendrez is an official bathing site rated Excellent for 2025, and it holds the Pavillon Bleu (Blue Flag). 2026 samples were good apart from one average result in August.

Ideal conditions

Swell
SW–W best, SSW–WNW works
Size
1.2–2.2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.8 m, holds to 3 m
Period
8 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore N–ENE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid best
Faces
SW (219°)

Live cam

Cams © their operators, shown from the operator's own feed.

Nearby spots

All spots in Finistère Sud · All spots

Sources