Saint Jean Roches Plates

Is the water clean at Saint Jean Roches Plates?

Saint Jean Roches Plates 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 Bouches-du-Rhône. You can park about ~250 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. Over the 7 classified seasons on record, 4 have come back Excellent or Good — a track record worth checking each year rather than assuming. On site you'll find Pebble shore, Restaurant, and Benches. La Ciotat — the closest town — sits about ~2.4 km from here.

“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. There are 7 places to eat within a kilometre — Le Saint Jean Plage is the closest, about ~70 m away.