Saintes-Maries.

Saintes-Maries sits at the edge of the Camargue, the vast wetland delta of the Rhône in southern France. The break is a wide, sandy beachbreak that peaks across a long stretch of shore, offering crumbly, slow-peeling a-frame peaks that rarely build real power. The bottom is flat sand and the waves tend to be well-covered and fat, backing off quickly rather than pitching - exactly what you'd expect from a low-energy Mediterranean fetch on a shallow, gently shelving beach. Waves stay in the 0.3-1.2m range on most active swells. The most workable surf is found to the right of the harbour jetty, where the structure provides a small degree of focusing on south to southwest runners. On the rare occasions a genuine south swell fills in, the Petit Rhône rivermouth at the western end can produce slightly more defined peaks with a bit more push. Tidal range in the Mediterranean is minimal, so conditions change little across the tide cycle. The area is wind-dominated - the Mistral blows hard and frequently from the northwest, which is technically offshore here, but the strong gusts can make the surface messy and paddling difficult. Wind and kite surfers are regulars on this stretch, and on most days they outnumber surfers. Crowds in the water are sparse. Jellyfish and sea lice are seasonal concerns, and the Petit Rhône outflow introduces estuary pollution that warrants caution after rain.

Crumbly a-frames across the Camargue shallows where the Mistral writes the forecast.