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 | 24.3 | 0.5 |
| Thu 3 | 24.3 | 0.5 |
| Fri 4 | 23.8 | 0.5 |
| Sat 5 | 23.3 | 0.5 |
| Sun 6 | 23.2 | 0.5 |
| Mon 7 | 23.4 | 0.5 |
| Tue 8 | 23.9 | 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
- Plage Du Lido1.7 kmHérault
- Plage Des Trois Digues1.9 kmHérault
- Plage de la Fontaine2.1 kmHérault
- Plage Du Lazaret3.2 kmHérault
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- Easy by car — there's parking close to the beach.
- Bus stop: Le Listel, about ~370 m away.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest town: Sète, about ~5.3 km 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 Plage de la Baleine?
Plage de la Baleine 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 Hérault. There's parking about ~100 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, Sète, is about ~5.3 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
Should you swim at Plage de la Baleine?
Yes — Plage de la Baleine carries the top EU Bathing Water classification, Excellent, for 2025, and 11 of its 11 classified seasons have rated Excellent or Good. It's also held steady at Excellent for 11 straight years.
What is the sea temperature at Plage de la Baleine today?
The figure above (about 24°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 is the best time to swim at Plage de la Baleine?
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 Plage de la Baleine doesn't have one published yet.
What's the easiest way to reach Plage de la Baleine?
By car, it's easy — parking is right by the beach. By bus, the nearest stop is Le Listel, about ~370 m away. The nearest town is Sète, about ~5.3 km away.