On the beach
Right now
Sample dataIllustrative conditions — the live Open-Meteo marine feed wasn't reachable, so these are deterministic placeholder values that will be replaced automatically once the feed is available.
7-day outlook
Sample dataModeled placeholder forecast for demonstration — will be replaced by a live marine-weather feed.
Sea temperature
Next 7 days, °C
Wave height
Next 7 days, metres
View as table
| Day | Sea temp (°C) | Wave height (m) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 | 28.4 | 0.5 |
| Thu 3 | 28.5 | 0.5 |
| Fri 4 | 28.1 | 0.5 |
| Sat 5 | 27.6 | 0.5 |
| Sun 6 | 27.3 | 0.5 |
| Mon 7 | 27.5 | 0.5 |
| Tue 8 | 28.0 | 0.5 |
Water quality history
Official EEA classification, one rating per bathing season, 2015–2025 — real data reported by national authorities.
- 2015: Excellent2015
- 2016: Excellent2016
- 2017: Excellent2017
- 2018: Excellent2018
- 2019: Excellent2019
- 2020: Excellent2020
- 2021: Excellent2021
- 2022: Excellent2022
- 2023: Excellent2023
- 2024: Excellent2024
- 2025: Excellent2025
Excellent in the most recent season, and 11 of 11 classified years rated Excellent or Good.
- Excellent
- Good
- Sufficient
- Poor
- Not classified
View as table
| Year | Classification |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Excellent |
| 2016 | Excellent |
| 2017 | Excellent |
| 2018 | Excellent |
| 2019 | Excellent |
| 2020 | Excellent |
| 2021 | Excellent |
| 2022 | Excellent |
| 2023 | Excellent |
| 2024 | Excellent |
| 2025 | Excellent |
Typical sea temperature by month
Modeled estimatePlausible seasonal climatology derived from latitude, for illustration — not a measured average.
Monthly sea temperature
Typical range across the year, °C
View as table
| Month | Typical sea temp (°C) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 16 |
| Feb | 15 |
| Mar | 16 |
| Apr | 18 |
| May | 20 |
| Jun | 23 |
| Jul | 25 |
| Aug | 26 |
| Sep | 25 |
| Oct | 23 |
| Nov | 20 |
| Dec | 18 |
Location & nearby beaches
Nearby beaches
- Carnon - Petit Travers742 mHérault
- Carnon - L'Avranche2.1 kmHérault
- Grand Travers2.8 kmHérault
- Carnon Centre3.2 kmHérault
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- By car: there's parking about ~320 m from the beach.
- Bus stop: Petit Travers, about ~810 m away.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest town: La Grande-Motte, about ~5.6 km away.
- 2 places to eat within 1 km
What kind of beach is this?
With no facilities mapped nearby, this beach is usually on the quiet side even in season — worth knowing if you're after solitude, but also worth bringing your own water and shade.
Estimated from OpenStreetMap surroundings data (ODbL).
- Families
- A quiet swim
Is the water clean at Carnon - Les Dunes?
Thinking of swimming at Carnon - Les Dunes? The short answer: its official EU Bathing Water rating for 2025 is Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment. That rating is set once a year under the EU Bathing Water Directive, from a full season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli reported to the European Environment Agency the following spring, so the 2025 season's grade appeared in spring 2026 and the 2026 season won't be graded until spring 2027. In addition to that yearly rating, some national authorities — for Croatia, the national environmental authority — publish individual water sample results during the season itself, ahead of the annual report. It's been a consistently reliable spot too — the rating has held at Excellent for 11 straight years. There's parking about ~320 m from the beach.
That rating has been consistent: every one of the 11 classified seasons on record has come back Excellent or Good. If you're timing a visit around water temperature rather than crowds, July–September is the safest bet, with August typically the peak — expect a cooler, calmer sea either side of that stretch. The nearest town, La Grande-Motte, is about ~5.6 km away.
“Excellent” is one point on a four-step scale — Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor — assigned once per year from that season's water samples, not a live reading. It describes how the site performs on average across the season, not the exact water quality this afternoon; for day-to-day sea conditions, see the “Right now” and 7-day outlook panels above.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to go in the water at Carnon - Les Dunes?
Yes, without much reservation. Carnon - Les Dunes holds the top EU Bathing Water classification, Excellent, for 2025, and 11 of 11 classified seasons here have rated Excellent or Good. It's also held steady at Excellent for 11 straight years.
What temperature is the sea at Carnon - Les Dunes right now?
The figure above (about 28°C) is placeholder data — the live marine-weather feed wasn't reachable when this page was built, and the real reading will appear automatically once it is. That's the reading right off Hérault. On the modeled climatology here, August usually runs warmest.
When does Carnon - Les Dunes have the warmest water?
For swimming, July–September is usually the best call — that's the modeled window when the sea here runs warmest. That applies to the water around Hérault. Within that window, August is typically the single warmest month.
Who measures the water quality rating, and how?
Behind the annual grade: a season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli, reported to the European Environment Agency each spring under the EU Bathing Water Directive. A few countries, Croatia via IZOR included, also publish individual in-season samples ahead of that report, but Carnon - Les Dunes doesn't have one published yet.
Is there parking near Carnon - Les Dunes?
By car, there's parking about ~320 m from the beach. By bus, the nearest stop is Petit Travers, about ~810 m away. The nearest town is La Grande-Motte, about ~5.6 km away.