WorldFrance › Vendée › La Baie des Sables

La Baie des Sables 68.3

#2495 of 5756 surf spots in the world · 🇫🇷 France · Vendée · near La Rochelle

Works almost every day, no off season, real size comes through.

Works all yearBig waveRemoteIntermediate
La Baie des Sables, France
Photo: Florian Pépellin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Surf score68.3 /100
Surfable days92% of the year
Clean days25% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell41% period 11 s+
Typical size1.4 m 4.7 ft median
Water15°C a 4/3 with boots

Best time to surf La Baie des Sables

The best time to surf La Baie des Sables is February, March, November. The season runs Mar to Mar. In November the water sits around 15°C, so pack a 4/3 with boots, and the typical wave is 2.1 m. The nearest airport is BOD (203 km) and the nearest town is La Rochelle (61 km).

MonthSurfableCleanSizeWaterSuit
Jan83%29%2.0 m10°C6/5
Feb94%39%2.3 m10°C5/4
Mar95%43%1.8 m12°C5/4
Apr93%39%1.3 m14°C4/3
May95%10%1.1 m16°C3/2
Jun93%9%1.0 m20°C2mm
Jul89%2%0.9 m20°C2mm
Aug86%5%1.0 m20°C2mm
Sep92%20%1.1 m19°C2mm
Oct94%19%1.6 m17°C3/2
Nov93%55%2.1 m15°C4/3
Dec88%28%2.5 m12°C5/4

Why 68.3

Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and multiplied by its weight; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world scores 100. Wave quality and what the spot does on its best days carry more than half of it, which is what separates this from a ranking of where the water is warm.

Wave quality 34.7%
13.2
Best days 22.4%
17.4
Clean days 18.4%
11.3
Consistency 10.2%
10.2
Season spread 4.1%
4.1
Water comfort 6.1%
1.0
Access 4.1%
1.8

The detail

Faces 215° with 44% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 62% of days. Mean peak period 10.6 s. Days over 3 m: 12%. On its best tenth of days it reaches 3.2 m, with a peak period of 13 s. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 38%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates 46.494, -1.785 (OpenStreetMap).

Live here

10 homes for sale within 30 km of La Baie des Sables, up to 60,000 euro. Houses and flats you can move into, never plots of land. Cheapest right now €29,000. Checked 2026-09-13. Listings from Bien'ici and the agents themselves; we take no part in the deal.

€29,000House · 39 m² · 3 roomsSaint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie23 km from the spot →€39,600Flat · 52 m² · 3 roomsJard-sur-Mer18 km from the spot →€40,825Flat · 80 m² · 3 roomsLes Sables-d'Olonne1 km from the spot →€41,250House · 94 m² · 5 roomsLes Achards18 km from the spot →€49,600House · 32 m² · 2 roomsVairé12 km from the spot →€58,000House · 25 m² · 3 roomsGivrand23 km from the spot →

What it costs to be here

Living here
€1,380/ month
typically €1,210 – €1,540
Rent, one bedroom€727
Groceries€289
Eating out€166
Getting around€98
Phone + internet€102
Renting by the month, cooking most days, local transport.
One month here
€2,690/ month
typically €2,370 – €3,020
Somewhere to stay€1,590
Eating out€565
Car, transfers, fuel€366
Data + extras€174
Short stays, eating out, a car or transfers.
49% cheaper if you live here instead of visiting

Remote spot, so the local estimate is 15% below the country average. Estimate: World Bank PPP price level for France (2025, United States = 1.00) applied to a fixed surfer basket, then adjusted for how remote the spot is. Your own number moves with the season and how you live.

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Spots nearby

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