France · Martinique
Grand Macabou
Martinique, France
On the beach
Right now
Live conditions from Open-Meteo, refreshed hourly.
7-day outlook
7-day marine forecast from Open-Meteo.
Sea temperature
Next 7 days, °C
Wave height
Next 7 days, metres
View as table
| Day | Sea temp (°C) | Wave height (m) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 | 29.4 | 1.0 |
| Thu 3 | 29.5 | 0.8 |
| Fri 4 | 29.5 | 1.0 |
| Sat 5 | 29.6 | 1.0 |
| Sun 6 | 29.6 | 0.9 |
| Mon 7 | 29.5 | 1.2 |
| Tue 8 | 29.4 | 1.5 |
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: Good2021
- 2022: Excellent2022
- 2023: Excellent2023
- 2024: Good2024
- 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 | Good |
| 2022 | Excellent |
| 2023 | Excellent |
| 2024 | Good |
| 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 | 21 |
| Feb | 21 |
| Mar | 21 |
| Apr | 23 |
| May | 25 |
| Jun | 27 |
| Jul | 28 |
| Aug | 29 |
| Sep | 28 |
| Oct | 27 |
| Nov | 25 |
| Dec | 23 |
Location & nearby beaches
Nearby beaches
- Petit Macabou248 mMartinique
- Cap Macre : Face Au Bar3.7 kmMartinique
- Pointe Faula : Face Restaurant3.9 kmMartinique
- Cap Chevalier : Milieu de Plage7.3 kmMartinique
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- Easy by car — there's parking close to the beach.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest town: Le Vauclin, about ~4.8 km away.
- 1 place to stay mapped nearby Closest is Hôtel Macabou, about ~930 m away.
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).
- A quiet swim
Is the water clean at Grand Macabou?
Grand Macabou sits on a stretch of coast classed as a coastal bathing site, carrying an official EU Bathing Water rating of Excellent for the 2025 season. Under the EU Bathing Water Directive, national authorities test for intestinal enterococci and E. coli through the season and report the results the following spring — the 2025 rating was published in spring 2026, and 2026's won't follow 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 sits in Martinique. You can park about ~100 m away.
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, June–October is the safest bet, with August typically the peak — expect a cooler, calmer sea either side of that stretch. Le Vauclin — the closest town — sits about ~4.8 km from here.
That “Excellent” label comes from a full season of official water sampling, not a single test — it's one step on a four-point scale (Excellent, Good, Sufficient, Poor) reassessed once a year. Today's actual conditions can differ from the seasonal average, so for a live snapshot see the “Right now” and 7-day outlook panels above. Water quality here has been improving: the rating moved from Good to Excellent in 2025.
Frequently asked questions
Is Grand Macabou a safe beach for swimming?
It's about as safe as bathing water gets: Grand Macabou's 2025 EU rating is Excellent, the top tier on the scale, and 11 of 11 classified seasons have come back Excellent or Good. Its rating has also been trending the right way, moving from Good to Excellent in 2025.
How cold or warm is the water at Grand Macabou today?
Checking in on Grand Macabou right now: the water is around 29°C, per the latest reading — the “Right now” panel above tracks it live. That's the reading right off Martinique.
What's the ideal time of year to swim at Grand Macabou?
June–October is typically the most reliable swimming window, with the sea usually warmest in the second half of summer. That applies to the water around Martinique.
What's behind the water quality rating shown above?
The grade comes from a full season of official sampling for intestinal enterococci and E. coli, reported to the European Environment Agency each spring under the EU Bathing Water Directive, which assigns Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor. Some countries (Croatia, via IZOR) also publish individual in-season samples ahead of that report; Grand Macabou doesn't have that feed yet.
How do you get to Grand Macabou?
By car, it's easy — parking is right by the beach. The nearest town is Le Vauclin, about ~4.8 km away.