France · Charente-Maritime
Plage de Basse Benaie
Charente-Maritime, 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 | 22.4 | 0.6 |
| Thu 3 | 22.8 | 0.5 |
| Fri 4 | 22.9 | 0.6 |
| Sat 5 | 23.4 | 0.7 |
| Sun 6 | 23.1 | 0.8 |
| Mon 7 | 23.0 | 0.9 |
| Tue 8 | 22.9 | 1.3 |
Water quality history
Official EEA classification, one rating per bathing season, 2015–2025 — real data reported by national authorities.
- 2015: Good2015
- 2016: Good2016
- 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 | Good |
| 2016 | Good |
| 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 | 15 |
| Feb | 14 |
| Mar | 15 |
| Apr | 17 |
| May | 19 |
| Jun | 22 |
| Jul | 24 |
| Aug | 24 |
| Sep | 24 |
| Oct | 22 |
| Nov | 20 |
| Dec | 17 |
Location & nearby beaches
Nearby beaches
- Plage de la Salee824 mCharente-Maritime
- Plage de Montamer1.4 kmCharente-Maritime
- Plage Sud - la Chaussee3.3 kmCharente-Maritime
- Plage Sud3.9 kmCharente-Maritime
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- Easy by car — there's parking close to the beach.
- Bus stop: Sainte-Marie-de-Ré - Mairie, about ~820 m away.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest village: Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, about ~600 m away.
- 3 places to eat within 1 km Closest is Monsieur Léon, about ~630 m away.
- 10 places to stay mapped nearby Closest is Cote Sauvage, about ~100 m away.
- 1 shop nearby, about ~1.3 km away
What kind of beach is this?
This beach sits in a built-up resort setting, with hotels, restaurants and services clustered around it — a full-service stretch of coast that tends to be busy in peak season and quieter outside it.
Estimated from OpenStreetMap surroundings data (ODbL).
- Full-service days
Is the water clean at Plage de Basse Benaie?
Thinking of swimming at Plage de Basse Benaie? 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 9 straight years. You can park about ~220 m away.
Looking to avoid the busiest weeks? The water is typically warmest around August, with the most reliable swimming window running July–September; outside that stretch you'll find a cooler sea but a quieter beach. That rating has been consistent: every one of the 11 classified seasons on record has come back Excellent or Good. On site you'll find Sandy shore, Toilets, and Parking. Sainte-Marie-de-Ré — the closest town — sits about ~600 m from here.
“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. There are 3 places to eat within a kilometre — Monsieur Léon is the closest, about ~630 m away.
Frequently asked questions
Can you safely swim at Plage de Basse Benaie?
It's about as safe as bathing water gets: Plage de Basse Benaie's 2025 EU rating is Excellent, the top tier on the scale, and 11 of 11 classified seasons have come back Excellent or Good. It's also held steady at Excellent for 9 straight years.
How warm is the sea at Plage de Basse Benaie right now?
As of the latest update, the sea temperature at Plage de Basse Benaie is around 22°C — see the “Right now” panel above for live conditions. That's the reading right off Charente-Maritime.
Which month has the warmest sea at Plage de Basse Benaie?
July–September is typically the most reliable swimming window, with the sea usually warmest in the second half of summer. That applies to the water around Charente-Maritime.
What's behind the water quality rating shown above?
National authorities sample the water for intestinal enterococci and E. coli bacteria through the bathing season and report the full-season results to the European Environment Agency each spring for the season just finished, which assigns one of four annual classifications — Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor — under the EU Bathing Water Directive. Some national authorities, including Croatia's IZOR, also publish individual in-season sample results ahead of that annual report.
How do you get to Plage de Basse Benaie?
By car, it's easy — parking is right by the beach. By bus, the nearest stop is Sainte-Marie-de-Ré - Mairie, about ~820 m away. The nearest town is Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, about ~600 m away.