Le Touquet-Paris-Plage tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 06:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are Europe/Paris local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Last spring tide on Thu 07 May (range 5.7m). Next spring tide on Wed 13 May (range 5.8m). Next neap on Sun 10 May.

Spring tides cluster around new and full moons (biggest swings). Neap tides land on quarter moons (smallest swings). See the spring tide and neap tide glossary entries for the why.

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage sits at the mouth of the Canche river estuary on the Opal Coast, 35 km south of Boulogne-sur-Mer. The name tells you what the place was built to be: a resort for the Paris bourgeoisie, developed from the late 19th century with the specific intention of delivering a beach to the capital via rail. The pine forest (Forêt de Touquet) that backs the beach was planted as part of this design — dune stabilisation and seaside atmosphere in one gesture. The villas are belle époque, the streets are named after British literary figures (Rue Kipling, Avenue du Dr-Schweitzer), and the casino is still operating. The tidal range at Le Touquet is exceptional. Spring range reaches approximately 8.0 m — one of the largest in metropolitan France. Mean range is around 5.7 m. The pattern is semidiurnal; high water here runs roughly 30 minutes after Boulogne and approximately 1 hour 40 minutes after the Dover standard. The consequence of this range is a beach whose width at low water is not a natural amenity but an operational field. At low water on a spring tide, the exposed flat extends more than a kilometre seaward of the dune line — ribbed sand, tidal pools, and sufficient level surface to stage large-scale events. The Enduro du Touquet, run annually in February, is the defining example. The beach race for motocross and enduro motorcycles is run at low water on the exposed spring-tide flat: a 14-km circuit laid on sand that is underwater for twelve of every twenty-four hours. The February spring tides provide the necessary window; the race start time is set to the tide, not to the clock. Up to 1,300 riders compete and the spectator numbers on the dune line reach tens of thousands. The beach as event venue is only possible because of the 8-metre range. For beach users on ordinary days, the range means planning around the tide cycle. At high water on a spring tide, the beach south of the town — particularly the stretch toward the Canche estuary mouth — narrows to a strip below the dunes. Two to three hours after high water the flat opens progressively; low water reveals the full scale of the beach. Tidal pools collect in the sand hollows as the ebb retreats, and the Canche estuary channel curves visibly across the southern end of the flat. The Canche estuary provides a natural channel for kayaking and small-boat sailing at mid-tide. The estuary is shallow and the bar at the mouth is exposed at low water; the practical window for a small craft entering or leaving the estuary from the sea is roughly two hours either side of high water. Waders and wildfowl use the estuary mudflats: dunlin, grey plover, redshank, and pintail in autumn and winter, with smaller numbers of knot and bar-tailed godwit on migration. Le Touquet has an airstrip (LFAT) 1 km inland from the beach, historically used by private aircraft from the UK — a 35-minute flight from southeast England airports. The British connection is long-standing; the town has an English-speaking community and the nearest hypermarket does significant cross-Channel grocery trade. Weekend visitor patterns follow the ferry and tunnel schedules from the UK as much as the French school calendar. Kite surfing and land-kiting operate from the north end of the beach, where the flat is widest at low water and prevailing southwesterly winds provide the angle. The tide timing dictates when the flat is available; the northwest-facing beach catches the afternoon sea breeze reliably from April through September. Tide data for Le Touquet-Paris-Plage comes from the Open-Meteo Marine API (±45 min / ±0.2–0.3 m). SHOM provides authoritative tidal tables for navigational and event planning.