France · French Guiana
Plage Castor
French Guiana, 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 | 29.5 | 0.6 |
| Thu 3 | 29.2 | 0.6 |
| Fri 4 | 28.9 | 0.9 |
| Sat 5 | 29.1 | 0.9 |
| Sun 6 | 29.5 | 0.6 |
| Mon 7 | 29.6 | 0.6 |
| Tue 8 | 29.8 | 0.6 |
Water quality history
Official EEA classification, one rating per bathing season, 2015–2025 — real data reported by national authorities.
- 2015: Sufficient2015
- 2016: Good2016
- 2017: Sufficient2017
- 2018: Poor2018
- 2019: Poor2019
- 2020: Poor2020
- 2021: Poor2021
- 2022: Poor2022
- 2023: Poor2023
- 2024: Poor2024
- 2025: Poor2025
Poor in the most recent season, and 1 of 11 classified years rated Excellent or Good.
- Excellent
- Good
- Sufficient
- Poor
- Not classified
View as table
| Year | Classification |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Sufficient |
| 2016 | Good |
| 2017 | Sufficient |
| 2018 | Poor |
| 2019 | Poor |
| 2020 | Poor |
| 2021 | Poor |
| 2022 | Poor |
| 2023 | Poor |
| 2024 | Poor |
| 2025 | Poor |
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 | 23 |
| Feb | 22 |
| Mar | 23 |
| Apr | 24 |
| May | 26 |
| Jun | 28 |
| Jul | 29 |
| Aug | 29 |
| Sep | 29 |
| Oct | 28 |
| Nov | 26 |
| Dec | 24 |
Location & nearby beaches
Nearby beaches
- Plage Pollux333 mFrench Guiana
- Plage Des Roches968 mFrench Guiana
- Lac Bois Diable2.9 kmFrench Guiana
- Plage de Bourda47 kmFrench Guiana
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: Kourou, about ~1.2 km away.
- 1 shop nearby, about ~500 m away
What kind of beach is this?
This beach belongs to a small coastal village. It's usually calmer than a resort or town beach, though a popular village spot can still fill up on the best summer days.
Estimated from OpenStreetMap surroundings data (ODbL).
Is the water clean at Plage Castor?
Plage Castor sits on a stretch of coast classed as a coastal bathing site, carrying an official EU Bathing Water rating of Poor 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 French Guiana. There's parking about ~260 m from the beach.
Over the 11 classified seasons on record, 1 have come back Excellent or Good — a track record worth checking each year rather than assuming. 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. The nearest town, Kourou, is about ~1.2 km away.
“Poor” 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
Should you swim at Plage Castor?
Plage Castor's official 2025 rating is Poor, which is why local advisories and posted flags are worth checking before swimming.
What is the sea temperature at Plage Castor today?
The most recent reading for Plage Castor shows the sea at around 30°C. For live, up-to-the-hour conditions, see the “Right now” panel above. That's the reading right off French Guiana. On the modeled climatology here, August usually runs warmest.
When should you plan a swimming trip to Plage Castor?
For the warmest water, aim for June–October — that's when the modeled sea temperature is typically at its best. That applies to the water around French Guiana. Within that window, August is typically the single warmest month.
Who measures the water quality rating, and how?
Once a year, national authorities report a full season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli to the European Environment Agency, which grades the season Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor under the EU Bathing Water Directive. A handful of countries, including Croatia via IZOR, also publish individual in-season samples ahead of that report — Plage Castor doesn't have that feed set up yet.
What's the easiest way to reach Plage Castor?
By car, it's easy — parking is right by the beach. The nearest town is Kourou, about ~1.2 km away.