Préfailles – Plage de Margaret

Préfailles · Loire-Atlantique · France

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Préfailles – Plage de Margaret (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/prefailles-margaret.

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A small, south-facing village beach on the Corniche du Pilier in Préfailles, east of Pointe Saint-Gildas, tucked between cliffs and fronted by flat rock reef that throws a fast, powerful left. Locals compare it with the Saint-Gildas reefs and say it can give very good sessions when a decent south-west swell gets in. Little else is documented, and it is surfed mainly by people who live nearby.

Level
Advanced
Break
Reef break, rock
Waves
Lefts
Crowd
Quiet
Season
autumn, winter, spring
Boards
A shortboard or mid-length, with reef boots.

When it works

✓ A solid south-west to west-south-west swell with a north to north-east wind, from mid to high tide.

When it doesn't

✕ Low tide, when the reef gets shallow, small swells, and south to south-west onshore winds.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • reef
  • currents

Best months

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

Local tips

Watch the depth over the reef at low tide, as it gets shallow quickly. A south-west swell with a north-east wind is the combination to look for. Sessions are few and the regulars know the reef well, so be patient and respectful in the line-up.

Getting there

The beach sits right below the Corniche du Pilier, about 500 m from Préfailles centre, with roadside parking within about 100 m. There are no showers and no lifeguards.

Travel notes

How often it works
It is fickle and needs a south-west swell with a north-east wind. Good sessions are few.
Crowd and vibe
The line-up is small and made up of regulars who know the reef. Be patient and respectful.
Camping and vans
Camping de la Pointe in Préfailles and Camping l'Albatros in La Plaine-sur-Mer are about 2 km away. Nearest campsite about 2 km away.
Facilities
There are no showers or lifeguards here. The Grande Plage nearby has toilets, showers and a summer lifeguard post.
Water quality
The Margaret monitoring point was rated good every season from 2022 to 2025, and all ten 2026 samples were good.

Ideal conditions

Swell
SW–W best, SW–WNW works
Size
2–3.5 m offshore swell; starts at 1.3 m, holds to 4.5 m
Period
10 s minimum, best from 13 s
Wind
Offshore N–NE; handles onshore up to 15 km/h
Tide
mid, high best, avoid low
Faces
SSW (195°)

Live cam

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

Nearby spots

All spots in Loire-Atlantique · All spots

Sources