Palmar lagoon is paradisaic: turquoise water with white sand on several hundreds of meters. You can ride safely at any moment of the day, no matter of the tide. The lagoon is surrounded by a reef barrier on which waves are breaking. The water is therefore flat inside the lagoon, and there is no strong currents because they are no passes next to the spot. On the northern side it is a lot wider in front of the Saint Gerain and Belle Mare Plage Hotel, with fairly safe and deep enough water to cruise. At the public beach it is a bit more shallow and special care must be taken at low tide for the big fields of stag horn corals. Reef waves between 1-3m high, but not really ridable. A few, small rocky wave breakers on the beach further south.
Nice white sand, after winter storm or cyclone some coral, locals don´t wear shoes though. There is a public beach at the southern side of the bay that allows access to the water. However this can be a bit tricky for kiters because of the narrower beach here.
The best season stretches from May to November with water temperatures between 22°C and 26°C and air temperatures between 22°C and 30°C. Short rain showers possible all year round.
The main wind is a steady SE Alizee blowing sideonshore here, about 15 to 25 knots on average during the best months from May to November. From December to April the wind is not so steady nor strong. The Alizee then blows enough for 7 days out of 10. Slightly stronger wind in early morning and at high tide. November to May: average wind 3-4 Bft. June to October: average wind 5-6 Bft.
The beach is located on the main road (called Royal Road) between Trou d' Eau Douce and Belle Mare. When you are in front of the Hotel called Ambre, you can find the path to the Public Beach about 50 meters on the right (direction Trou d' Eau Douce). It's basically just an extension of the Belle Mare beach with the same characteristics as Belle Mare.
Like always with lagoons stay inside the lagoon to be safe. Its really dangerous to go too close to the reef, or to go outside the barrier! Ask local kite schools or local people for information about the spot, the tide and the wind before riding. Be careful not to disturb other people on the beach or in the water and respect this beautiful environment. Beware of boat traffic especially from November to February.
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