Gruissan at a glance
- Windiest months
- Nov-DecModel data
- Average wind
- 14 to 16 knots in Mar and Nov-Dec, average of all daytime hoursModel data
- Level
- Advanced to Pro
- Water
- Flat water, Choppy
Model data: weather records from Open-Meteo for this area, not a wind meter on the beach.
Gruissan month by month
| Month | Avg wind | Session days | Air |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 kn | 80% | 10°C |
| Feb | 14 kn | 70% | 12°C |
| Mar | 16 kn | 79% | 13°C |
| Apr | 14 kn | 74% | 16°C |
| May | 13 kn | 77% | 20°C |
| Jun | 12 kn | 78% | 25°C |
| Jul | 13 kn | 76% | 27°C |
| Aug | 12 kn | 71% | 27°C |
| Sep | 12 kn | 74% | 23°C |
| Oct | 11 kn | 58% | 19°C |
| Nov | 14 kn | 76% | 14°C |
| Dec | 14 kn | 71% | 12°C |
Model data from Open-Meteo, Jan 2023 to Sep 2026 (about 3.5 years), daytime 9:00 to 18:00. Session days: days with at least 2 hours in a row of 11+ knots (or 16+ knot gusts) between 11:00 and 19:00. Not a wind meter on the beach.
Watch: Winning the Défi Wind in Gruissan
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How windy Gruissan usually isWindy Nov-DecWindy Nov-Dec
Each bar: how often it blew between 9:00 and 18:00 in that month, counted over about 3.5 years of weather records for Plage des Chalets (Defi Wind). Not a wind meter on the beach: where hills or a gap speed the wind up (Canaries, Tarifa), it often blows more than this shows.
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The spots (1)
Plage des Chalets (Defi Wind)
Tested by NP7: we've been here · Advanced-Pro · Flat water, Choppy
Home of the Defi Wind: the Tramontane blows straight offshore here, so the water stays flat close to the beach even when it is very windy.
Home of the Defi Wind: the Tramontane blows straight offshore here, so the water stays flat close to the beach even when it is very windy.
This is the beach at Gruissan where the Defi Wind is held in May, the biggest windsurf race in the world with almost 1,500 starters at the same time. The wind is the Tramontane, a westerly that pushes through the mountains inland and blows straight offshore over the sand. Offshore sounds dangerous, but here it makes for the easiest conditions possible: you can sail very close to the shore, and even in strong wind the water is flat for kilometres along the beach. Sail close in and the sand flies in your face. Expect a lot of wind. The Tramontane is most common in winter and early spring and often hits the beaches in the south of France with more than 30 knots; at the Defi it is usually strong, up to 40 knots and sometimes more. It is gusty, and across the race course the wind can vary by more than 10 knots. The water is flattest close to the beach, and the chop builds further out. The wind does not always show up, though: in 2024 and 2025 there was not enough of it for official Defi races. Come confident in strong offshore wind, and keep clear of the rock breakwaters at the harbour channel right next to the launch. Seaweed has caught foils during races. In race week the Defi village fills the area by the channel, with the restaurant Le Paparazzo right behind the beach.
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