Chef de Baie, La Rochelle

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/ Poitou-Charentes France
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Surfing in Chef de Baie, La Rochelle, Poitou-Charentes France

Type of wave / direction:
Beach break / right and left
Best swell direction:
NW,W,SW,S
Best wind direction:
N,SE,E,NE
La Rochelle is the capital of the Charente – Maritime department. It is a port city connected to the Île de Ré with a 2.9 km / 1.8 mi long bridge that was completed on May 19th, 1988. The harbor opens to a protected strait, the Pertuis d'Antioche. La Rochelle is situated in western France and is seaport on the Bay of Biscay which is a part of the Atlantic Ocean.

In the north of La Rochelle and near the industrial area, it lies a beautiful beach. Chef De Baie is the perfect place for surfing. It is almost right in the city, at a very short distance from the downtown. It is very easy to find and is publicly accessed. The spot is a good spot for surfing with sloppy wave that sometimes break, becoming suitable for all levels of surfers.

Type of the wave is beach break and it comes from both directions, right and left. The bottom of the sea is sandy with rocks. Power of the wave is fun and its length varies. In normal days it is short up to 50 m /164 ft long and in good days it reaches up to 150 m /492 ft long.

The optimum swell direction comes from northwest, west, southwest and south and the best wind direction is north, southeast, east and northeast. Swell size starts at 3 – 3.5 m / 10 – 12 ft. Generally it is not a very crowded beach with just a few surfers around.

The beach is great for surfing but you should be very careful and take all precautions, like a whole body uniform, due to the pollution from the nearby industrial area. Besides that, it is a lovely place near the city to surf.