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Arzon wing spot

Arzon / Port-Navalo, Presqu'île de Rhuys (France) — the doorway spot

Arzon occupies the very tip of the Presqu'île de Rhuys, the arm of land that closes off the Golfe du Morbihan. Everything about the place is defined by that position: on one side the open Baie de Quiberon and the Mor Braz, on the other the sheltered inner sea, and in between a 900-metre strait — the goulet de Port-Navalo — through which 200 to 400 million cubic metres of seawater are pushed and pulled on every single tide.

That makes Arzon the most versatile spot in the region and simultaneously the one that punishes carelessness fastest. Within three kilometres you can choose between a south-facing bay beach with real wind and chop, a west-facing beach looking straight into the mouth, and flat sheltered water inside the gulf. What you cannot choose is to ignore the current.

The coordinate above sits in the entrance approach itself, just north of the Méaban islet. Treat it as the geographic marker for the area, not as a play zone: this is where the tidal stream runs hardest, and where generations of sailors have come to grief on the Buisson de Méaban. The sessions happen on the beaches either side of it.

How the spot works

The strait is a pump. The gulf drains and fills through a gap 900 m wide. At the entrance the current runs about 3.5 knots on the flood and 4.1 knots on the ebb — and deeper inside the gulf, at the Jument, over 9 knots on a spring tide, the second strongest tidal current in Europe. Two details matter for a board rider. First, current reversal in the goulet lags the tidal slack in the almanac by roughly an hour, so "high water" on your phone is not slack water here. Second, the ebb pours out of the mouth into the Mor Braz, which means an offshore wind plus an ebbing tide is a one-way ticket. Plan every session with the tide table open.

Three aspects, one car park each. The Fogeo–Kerjouanno beach faces south into the Baie de Quiberon: side-onshore in south-west, the workhorse. Port-Blanc, known locally as the Grande Plage de Port-Navalo, faces roughly west into the mouth: better in southerly and westerly, but far closer to the stream. Port-Lenn and the Port-Navalo village frontage look north into the gulf entrance and only work inside a defined buoyed zone. Pick the aspect that turns the day's wind into side-onshore, and the spot delivers a lot.

Filtered swell. The Quiberon peninsula, Houat, Hoëdic and Belle-Île sit upwind of the Baie de Quiberon, so ocean swell arrives heavily reduced. Expect wind chop and short, small waves at Fogeo rather than a wave spot — a bump-and-jump playground, not Cold Hawaii. Exposure increases as you go east along the peninsula: Kerver a little more, Landrezac and Penvins noticeably more.

The wind

Judged from Fogeo–Kerjouanno, whose shoreline faces roughly south to south-south-west:

Direction Character Verdict
SW Side-onshore from the right, longest fetch across the Baie de Quiberon, and the summer thermal ⭐ The classic
WSW – W Cross-onshore, more power, cleanest water ⭐ The best days, autumn to spring
S – SSE Straight onshore, choppy and safe, the reassuring direction Good, especially with a school
SE – E Side-offshore turning offshore, and it lines you up with the ebb out of the mouth ⚠️ Experienced only, flood tide only
NE – N Offshore across the peninsula, gusty and deceptive ❌ Don't
NW Offshore at Fogeo, onshore at Port-Blanc but right beside the stream Port-Blanc, and only with a plan

The rule at the tip of Rhuys: in any direction with east or north in it, the wind is pushing you towards the open Mor Braz and the current is very likely to help. If the direction is offshore, either drive 20 minutes east along the peninsula to a beach where it becomes side-onshore, or don't rig.

Wind strength and gear (indicative, around 80–85 kg, chop and small waves):

Wind Sail Board Character
10–14 kn Foil ⭐ or 7.0–8.0 Foil board or 125–145 l Typical summer afternoon. Foil flies, fin planes only in the gusts
15–18 kn 6.0–6.5 110–125 l Comfortable freeride, small chop, the good thermal day
19–23 kn 5.3–5.7 95–110 l ⭐ The sweet spot. Bump-and-jump across the bay
24–28 kn 4.7–5.2 88–98 l Frontal wind, mostly Sep–Apr. Real North Atlantic weather
29+ kn 4.2–4.5 80–90 l Serious. Short steep chop, and the current does not care about your sail size

Freeride or freewave fin, moderate size. Eelgrass is less of a problem than inside the gulf, but a weed-tolerant fin is still no loss. Compared with Vannes, this is the spot where fin gear actually works: bring the middle of your quiver rather than the biggest board you own.

Conditions & levels

Open bay water with wind chop and modest swell, warm by Breton standards, and a properly organised beach behind you. The hazard profile is tide and current, not shorebreak.

Level What you get
🟢 Beginner Good, with the school on the beach: supervised bathing zones, shallow entry, safety boat. Not a self-teaching spot, because of the entrance current
🟢 Improver Excellent. Reliable side-onshore days, choppy but not intimidating water, short runs to build confidence
🟡 Advanced The best all-round spot on the peninsula for freeride and bump-and-jump. Small waves on big SW days, plenty of foil potential
🔴 Pro Not a wave destination. For size and power, the Quiberon côte sauvage or Guidel

Sports: Windsurf ✅ · Wing ✅ · Foil ⭐ · SUP ✅ · Kite ⚠️ only in the designated zone at the east end of Kerver beach · Wave surf ⚠️ small and inconsistent

School & club

École de Voile du Fogeo — Parc du Fogeo, 56640 Arzon. An FFV-affiliated French sailing school, open roughly early April to early November, and the practical centre of gravity for the spot.

Windsurf courses (adults and children), dinghy, optimist, catamaran, coastal cruising instruction on a 10.6 m keelboat
Wingfoil private coaching and wingfoil rental (equipment level required: safe launch and landing, able to sail back and forth; a deposit is taken on rentals)
Rental of windsurf boards, dinghies, catamarans, kayaks and SUP; part of the Point Passion Plage network
Boat parking and a board rack (râtelier) — this matters, see the storage rule below
Phone +33 2 97 53 84 01, contact@lefogeo.com; adult courses from around €180

The school sits inside the Parc du Fogeo, nine hectares of leisure ground with minigolf, tennis, beach volleyball, a riding centre, playgrounds and food. If you are here with family, this single location solves most of the day.

Launches & logistics

Plage du Fogeo–Kerjouanno (Parc du Fogeo, 56640 Arzon) — the main spot. Long fine-sand beach backed by low dunes, several free car parks and a motorhome area, SNSM lifeguard post with two supervised zones in July and August, beach club, sailing school, picnic tables in the park. Note that the car parks are not immediately at the water's edge — reckon on a carry. Craft must cross the 300 m coastal band through the marked transit channels (chenaux traversiers) at the west and east ends of the beach; nautical craft are prohibited in the band outside those channels.

Plage de Port-Blanc / Grande Plage de Port-Navalo — west-facing, looking into the mouth, and the closest beach to the current. Covered by the same Préfecture Maritime navigation decree, with its own marked zones and channels. Read the boards at the access before rigging.

Port-Lenn / Port-Navalo — windsurfing and dinghy sailing are permitted in the buoyed zone bounded to the east by Plage de Port-Lenn and opening westwards towards the gulf, north of the Petite Truie beacon. Boards are prohibited inside the harbour and its access channels. This is the sheltered flat-water option when the bay side is unmanageable.

Plage de Kerver (east end) — the only place in the commune where kitesurfing is permitted. Rigging and launching must happen directly in front of that designated riding zone, nowhere else.

Port du Crouesty, one of Brittany's largest marinas, is next door, with shops, chandlery, restaurants and the thalasso centre. Passenger ferries leave Port-Navalo for Belle-Île, Houat, Hoëdic, Île d'Arz and Île aux Moines, and a short crossing runs over the mouth to Locmariaquer. Vannes is about 35 minutes by road.

Best season
Period Wind Water temp (approx.) Wetsuit Crowds
Nov–Mar Strongest — Atlantic lows from W/SW 9–11 °C 5/4 + hood, gloves, boots Empty, school closed
Apr–Jun ⭐ Good balance, decent statistics, school open 12–17 °C 4/3 Very quiet
Jul–Aug Weakest, but a fairly reliable SW thermal most afternoons 17–20 °C Shorty to 3/2 Peak resort season, swimmers and boats
Sep–Oct ⭐ Best overall: fronts return, water still warm, beaches empty 15–19 °C 4/3 The peninsula empties fast

September and early October are the months to plan around: the school is still open, the fronts are back, and the Baie de Quiberon holds its summer temperature well into autumn.

Rules you actually need to know

Kitesurfing. Prohibited across the entire Golfe du Morbihan by a 2006 prefectural decree, and prohibited on Arzon's beaches with a single exception: the designated zone at the east end of Plage du Kerver, where rigging and launching must also take place. Kiting anywhere else here — including the inviting-looking water at Fogeo — is an offence, not a grey area.

The Préfecture Maritime decree for Arzon regulates navigation and nautical activity in the waters off Port-Blanc/Port-Navalo, Fogeo-Kerjouanno and Kerver: marked transit channels, riding zones, a kite zone, and swimming zones that craft must stay out of. It is reissued periodically, so read the signage at the beach access rather than relying on last year's memory.

Do not store gear on the beach. Parking or storing dinghies, kayaks or windsurf boards on the foreshore is prohibited at Arzon and enforceable with a fine of up to €1,500. For a longer stay, book a board rack at the École de Voile du Fogeo.

Méaban is off limits. The islet is an ornithological reserve under a biotope protection order dating from 1982 and part of the Natura 2000 special protection area; landing is prohibited from 15 April to 31 August. Keep well clear — the currents around the Buisson de Méaban are the reason it has a wreck history.

Speed and zoning inside the gulf. 5 knots inside the 300 m coastal band, 10 knots beyond and in the passes. If you sail into the gulf from Port-Navalo, the Vannes-side rules apply, including the no-navigation zones.

Division 240. Daylight only, maximum 2 nautical miles (3,724 m) from shelter, with the required safety kit: flotation aid, means of signalling, means of being towed.

Dogs are banned from the beaches during the bathing season (dates vary between decrees — currently around mid-April to mid-September). Check the signs.

Good to know (safety first)

The current is the whole safety story. 3.5 knots on the flood, 4.1 on the ebb at the entrance, and slack lagging the almanac by an hour. A board rider who loses their rig 500 m off the Pointe de Port-Navalo on the ebb is not swimming home. Sail the bay side, keep the mouth to windward of you, and know whether the water is going in or out before you launch.

Offshore wind is not survivable by improvisation here. East through north puts the peninsula upwind and the open Mor Braz downwind. Drive east instead.

Boat traffic. Le Crouesty is a major marina and Port-Navalo a ferry terminal: the approach lanes carry a constant stream of yachts, ferries and fishing boats, funnelling into a narrow entrance. Stay out of the channel and stay visible.

Swimmers and zoning. In July and August the SNSM supervises two zones at Fogeo-Kerjouanno. Use the transit channels, keep the mandatory distance from bathers, and accept that high summer belongs to the beach crowd from mid-morning to evening.

Water quality. Generally good, but the commune does occasionally close Fogeo and Kerjouanno temporarily after quality incidents — the town hall publishes the decrees.

Emergency. At sea in France, 196 (CROSS) or 112, VHF channel 16. Don't go out alone, and tell someone your plan.

Honest limitations

The current makes this a spot that requires respect. Everything good about Arzon comes from sitting at the gulf entrance, and so does everything dangerous. It is not a place to learn independence.

Swell is filtered to almost nothing. Quiberon, Houat and Belle-Île take the ocean out of the Baie de Quiberon. Chop and small waves, no proper wave riding.

Kite is effectively restricted to one beach end. If kiting is the purpose of your trip, base yourself towards Erdeven, Plouharnel or Quiberon.

High season is resort season. Le Crouesty, the thalasso and the campsites fill the peninsula in July and August. Parking, swimmers and boat traffic all peak exactly when the wind is at its weakest.

No gear left on the beach. The foreshore storage ban is real. Everything goes back to the car or into a rented rack.

Summer wind is thin. July and August often deliver 10–15 knots. Foil is the honest answer, as it is throughout the Morbihan.

The short advice

First time here: a windsurf or wingfoil session with the École de Voile du Fogeo, on the Fogeo–Kerjouanno beach. Ask them where the current is running that day and remember the answer.

Improver with your own gear: SW at 16–20 knots, Fogeo–Kerjouanno, launch through the marked channel, and stay upwind of your car park.

Experienced: WSW at 20–25 knots in late September, Fogeo, early morning before the beach fills. That is the best this end of the peninsula gets.

Foiler: thermal SW afternoons in July and August, and the flat water inside the gulf via the Port-Navalo buoyed zone as a plan B.

Kite: east end of Kerver, and nowhere else in the commune.

With family: hard to beat. Parc du Fogeo covers the non-surfing half of the family for a whole day, Le Crouesty covers dinner, and the ferry to Houat covers the flat days.

Alternatives nearby
Plage de Kerver, Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys (≈ 10 min east) — bigger, more exposed, and the only legal kite zone in the sector
Landrezac / Suscinio, Sarzeau (≈ 20–25 min east) — long open beach, more swell, a ducal château behind the dune
Penvins, Sarzeau (≈ 30 min east) — the local wave and wing headland, works in S–SW swell
Damgan / Kervoyal (≈ 45 min east) — 4 km south-facing beach, schools, and legal kite zones
Baie de Quiberon / Le Rohu, Saint-Pierre-Quiberon (≈ 1 h round the bay) — flat water with real wind, one of France's best learning areas
La Trinité-sur-Mer, plage de Men Du (≈ 55 min) — good windsurf and kite water, needs autonomy
Vannes / Baie de Vannes (≈ 35 min) — the sheltered inner-sea alternative, flat water, kite banned
Quiberon côte sauvage & Guidel (≈ 1 h – 1 h 30) — the real Atlantic waves
Rainy and flat days
Cairn du Petit Mont, Arzon — neolithic cairn on the headland, with a German wartime bunker built into it; a genuinely odd and good visit, ten minutes away
Port-Navalo lighthouse and the GR34 coastal path — the walk round the point is short and spectacular
Ferry to Houat, Hoëdic or Belle-Île from Port-Navalo — the best flat-day plan on this coast
Locmariaquer megaliths — Table des Marchands and the Grand Menhir Brisé, across the mouth by passenger ferry or ≈ 40 min by road
Château de Suscinio, Sarzeau (≈ 20 min) — ducal castle on the marsh
Carnac alignments and Musée de Préhistoire (≈ 50 min)
Vannes intra-muros (≈ 35 min) — ramparts, gardens, cathedral, covered market
Thalasso at Le Crouesty — the civilised answer to a 5/4 session in March

Country: France Region: Bretagne, Morbihan (56), Presqu'île de Rhuys — Arzon / Port-Navalo / Le Crouesty Water: Open bay (Baie de Quiberon / Mor Braz) plus sheltered inner sea; strongly tidal Type: Sand beaches at a tidal strait — chop and small waves outside, flat water inside Coordinates: approx. 47.5274 N / −2.9397 E (entrance approach, north of Méaban) Launches: Plage du Fogeo–Kerjouanno (Parc du Fogeo) · Plage de Port-Blanc / Grande Plage de Port-Navalo · Port-Lenn / Port-Navalo buoyed zone · Plage de Kerver, east end (kite only) Best direction: SW (S to W workable) School: École de Voile du Fogeo, Parc du Fogeo, 56640 Arzon, +33 2 97 53 84 01 — windsurf, wingfoil, catamaran, dinghy, rental, board racks Tide: ≈ 4–5 m at Port-Navalo; entrance current ≈ 3.5 kn flood / 4.1 kn ebb, slack lags the almanac by ≈ 1 h; over 9 kn deeper inside the gulf Kite: ⚠️ Only at the east end of Plage du Kerver; banned elsewhere in the commune and throughout the gulf Lifeguards: SNSM post at Fogeo-Kerjouanno, two zones, July–August Emergency: 196 (sea rescue) / 112

Who is this spot for? Level: 🟢 Beginner (with the school) · 🟢 Improver · 🟡 Advanced · 🔴 Pro Good to learn: ✅ Yes, with supervision Water: 🌊 Open bay + inner sea Wind ✅ · Wing ✅ · Foil ⭐ · SUP ✅ · Kite ⚠️ zone only · Wave ⚠️ small

⚠️ Orientation only, not a guarantee — conditions change daily. Check the forecast, the tide table and the signage at the beach access, ask the sailing school, and don't go out alone if unsure. The biggest danger here is the tidal current at the gulf entrance.

🌊 Open in the app
1Riders ranked
1Sessions logged
WMost common wind
2026-07-25Latest session
2026-07-25First community session

Live speed ranking

Best session per rider, by 2-second top speed. Recorded with MyWaterSessions – updates automatically as new sessions come in.

#RiderTop 2skm/hBest 30s
1Jacob12.62 kn23.38 km/h9.79 kn

FAQ – Arzon

How fast do riders go at Arzon?

The fastest recorded 2-second top speed is 23.38 km/h (12.62 kn), set by Jacob. 1 riders are ranked across 1 logged sessions.

When was the last session logged at Arzon?

The most recent logged session was on 2026-07-25, and the first community session dates back to 2026-07-25.

Which watersports can you track at Arzon?

Riders have logged wing foiling at Arzon with MyWaterSessions.

Is it free to use MyWaterSessions at Arzon?

Yes. Rankings, the spot guide and the 3-day wind forecast are 100% free — no premium and no paywall.

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