The Beauduc - Arles kitesurf spot is located in the south of France, in the Camargue. An immense beach of over 2 km and almost 500 meters wide that separates coastal ponds from the sea, completely wild halfway between Marseille and Monpellier, where the wind is almost a certainty. It is no coincidence that Beauduc is one of the most renowned kitesurfing spots and not only in France. Beauduc beach is a piece of paradise in the south of France. Here people sometimes come for a day, sometimes for a weekend or until the wind changes. Once only a meeting place for fishermen and nature lovers, Beauduc is now a renowned kitesurf spot all over Europe, where even today it is possible to sleep on the beach and bivouac with a tent, albeit with some more regulations than in the past.
To arrive from Italy the journey is quite long, about 5 hours drive from the border. Those who do not like long journeys can always choose to fly to Marseille. Arriving by car, once you arrive in Salin de Giraud, you should cross the Rhone by ferry to the Bac de Barcarin. After that there are about 10 km of unpaved road.
Wind: in Beauduc you can kitesurf with the wind coming from any direction, but the ideal conditions are with winds from the north (side), north east, north west, south west (side on). South East (side off). The seabed is low and sandy for 300 - 400 meters. With storm surges, particularly from the north west, wave conditions.
When the mistral blows it is perfect here: flat water, not too gusty wind.
Best time for the wind: from mid-June to mid-July, almost every day the wind blows at about 15 knots.
The only wind that is completely off is the East, for all other directions, you can find a place to go (it's a closed U-shaped bay).
Beauduc is also the spot where 40 kts from the north are quite normal ... so if you come, you also plan to bring small sails!
The kite area is located on the right side of the beach, also called Contessa beach where the place is not missing for anyone, including beginners who can learn to maneuver the kite on the ground safely, provided you do it with an instructor and respecting distances from parked cars. In the past cars could get to the beach, but today it is no longer the case, also due to bad accidents that occurred with kiters slammed against cars.
