Kitesurfing, wing foiling and foiling at Île de Ré (Le Petit Sergent)

Le Petit Sergent lies on the south coast of the Île de Ré, at Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, and of the three beaches covered here by the same order, only this one has a channel where you may cross the 300-metre strip with a kite, from 1 June to 31 August and only to go out and come back. The sandy beach faces south-south-west, so south to south-west is onshore and south-south-east and west-south-west to west come in side-on, while south-east and north-west blow along the beach and north-north-east to north-east is offshore across the island, with a no-go from Windulu. The live data comes from Saint-Clément-des-Baleines, on the western tip of the island and more than thirteen kilometres away, so read it as an indication.

From 1 June to 31 August inclusive, kiters may only cross the 300 m band, out and back, via the chenal of Le Petit Sergent; kiting is banned in the swimming zones and in the chenal of Gros-Jonc. Outside the chenal, a 5-knot speed limit applies within 300 m. Source: préfet maritime 2025/070.

Wind directions & safety

The open water at Île de Ré (Le Petit Sergent) faces SSW (210°). The safest wind directions to get on the water here are south, southwest and west (onshore or cross-onshore). With the wind from the north, east, southeast and northwest, it runs cross to cross-offshore: doable, but mind your position and don't go alone. With the wind from the northeast, it blows offshore and is dangerous: you'll be pushed off the beach onto open water (no-go).

On this page you'll find the live wind, the hourly forecast and a personal go/no-go for Île de Ré (Le Petit Sergent), plus your ideal kite or wing size and (where available) a live beach webcam. Wind data: AROME via Open-Meteo.