La Baule-Escoublac tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 06:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are Europe/Paris local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Next spring tide on Sun 17 May (range 4.9m). Next neap on Fri 22 May.

Spring tides cluster around new and full moons (biggest swings). Neap tides land on quarter moons (smallest swings). See the spring tide and neap tide glossary entries for the why.

La Baule's beach is one of the longest unbroken arcs of sand in Europe — 9 km of it, sweeping around a wide south-facing bay between La Pointe de Penchâteau in the west and Pornichet in the east. The tidal range here matches the wider Loire Atlantic coast at approximately 4.5 metres mean range, and that range does transformative things to the beach geometry. At low water, the sea retreats several hundred metres from the promenade. The beach doubles or triples in visible width. Firm, flat sand extends toward the horizon — perfect for beach volleyball, kite landboarding, and the long walks La Baule is known for. At high water on a spring tide, the sea reaches close to the seawall. The timing of low water on any given day determines what La Baule actually is: a vast open sandscape or a conventional resort beach. Tides at La Baule are semidiurnal — two high waters and two low waters per 24-hour period, each approximately 6 hours apart and shifting 50 minutes later each day. The tidal range varies over the lunar cycle from neap tides (roughly 2.5–3.0 m range) to springs (up to 5.5 m). The difference between neap and spring beach width is striking and worth checking before planning a day. The town itself is early 20th century resort architecture — Belle Époque and Art Deco villas that were built when La Baule became fashionable with Parisian upper classes in the 1920s and 30s. The casino and the grand hotels on the front were designed for promenading at high water; the same promenade at low tide looks out over 300 metres of empty beach. Both are worth experiencing. Water temperature peaks in August at around 20–21°C. Sea conditions are generally benign in the bay — the bay's orientation provides shelter from westerly swells, though northwesterly groundswell wraps around La Pointe de Penchâteau and produces modest surf on the outer beach sections near Le Pouliguen. Tide predictions are generated from Open-Meteo Marine data (accuracy ±45 minutes, ±0.2–0.3 m). For navigation in and around the Pornichet marina entrance and the Chenal du Pouliguen, consult SHOM official tables.