Côte Sauvage – Pointe Espagnole

La Tremblade · Charente-Maritime · France

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Côte Sauvage – Pointe Espagnole (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/pointe-espagnole.

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Pointe Espagnole is the northern access to the Côte Sauvage, the long, wild beach of sand, dunes and pine forest that runs south from the Maumusson strait to the La Coubre lighthouse. It is an open, west-facing beach break with short rights and lefts over shifting sandbars, mostly fed by Atlantic groundswell. It sees far fewer surfers than the lighthouse end of the coast, and the local guides put it at intermediate and better: like the rest of the Côte Sauvage, the currents and channels are strong, and it is not a place for beginners on their own.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Quiet
Season
spring, summer, autumn
Boards
A shortboard or a fish.

When it works

✓ A west to north-west groundswell of one to two metres with an easterly wind around mid tide, ideally on the push.

When it doesn't

✕ Onshore westerly wind, swells much over two and a half metres, and big spring tides that drive hard currents.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • currents

Best months

April, May, June, September, October, November

Local tips

The better banks are usually at the right-hand (northern) end of the beach as you arrive. The rising tide tends to give more orderly waves, while the dropping tide strengthens the currents in the channels between the banks. Lifeguards only cover the beach in summer, so off-season surf with a friend.

Getting there

Take the D25 Côte Sauvage road between Ronce-les-Bains and La Palmyre and turn off at the sign for La Pointe Espagnole; there is a car park and a walk of 5–15 minutes to the beach. The stretch south of here towards La Bouverie is a naturist beach.

Travel notes

How often it works
Surf-forecast calls it fairly consistent, and it can work at any time of year. It is open to west groundswells.
Crowd and vibe
It very rarely gets crowded. Wannasurf lists it as empty on weekdays and with few surfers at weekends.
Camping and vans
Camping La Clairière and Activ Loisirs in La Tremblade are about 6 km away. St-Tro Park on Oléron is about the same distance as the crow flies, but much further by road. Nearest campsite about 6 km away.
Facilities
There is a car park off the D25 and a lifeguard post on the beach in summer, but no toilets listed.
Water quality
The Pointe Espagnole monitoring point was rated good every season from 2022 to 2025, and all six 2026 samples were good.

Ideal conditions

Swell
W–WNW best, SW–NW works
Size
1–2.2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.8 m, holds to 2.8 m
Period
9 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore ENE–SSE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid best
Faces
WNW (283°)

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