Grand Plage

20.4°C Water temp · Jun 8

France Coastal 1 - Excellent 20.4°C

Satellite image of GRAND PLAGE — Satellite image © Esri

Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains is a small coastal resort in the Landes department of Aquitaine, France, offering two ocean beaches and one lake beach. The North and Central beaches are sandy, relatively urbanized behind the dunes with residential areas and the town of Vieux-Boucau. The beaches have a 2% slope and natural shores with emergent and submerged vegetation. Water circulation is predominantly north-south, and the area experiences an oceanic climate with mild winters and moderate summers.

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Water

Ocean beaches. North Beach: 400 m long, 70 m wide, 30,800 m² surface area, 2% average slope. Central Beach: 400 m long, 60 m wide, 24,000 m² surface area, 2% average slope. Water transparency (Secchi depth) exceeds 1 meter. Dominant water current flows north-south. Sand substrate with emergent and submerged vegetation affecting water transparency.

Location

Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains, Landes department, Aquitaine region, France. Located 29 km northwest of Dax. Access is by road with parking available. The North Beach has a municipal campground behind the dunes. The Central Beach has shops along a paved access road leading to the top of the dune.

Facilities

Lifeguard post at each beach with signage. Sanitary facilities available. Garbage collection. Municipal campground at North Beach. Surf school at North Beach. Nudism tolerated at north end of North Beach. Shops and commercial facilities along Central Beach access road. Animals prohibited at both beaches. Swimming zones delimited by blue flags.

Season

North Beach: mid-June to September. Central Beach: mid-May to September.

Water Quality

North Beach and Central Beach both classified as 'Excellent Quality' under the 2006 Directive. Historical classifications from 2006–2010 all rated 'A' (good quality water). Enterococcus (EC) values ranged from 30–177 CFU/100ml during standard monitoring; E. coli (EI) values ranged from 46–143 CFU/100ml. Self-monitoring episodes recorded higher values but remain below alert thresholds. No green algae proliferation, no dermatitis cases, and no abundant deposits or foam episodes reported. Sanitary log implemented in 2010 to track factors affecting water quality.