Summer spring tides in Saint-Malo
Updated on 27 July 2026
In summer the spring tide changes audience: fewer wave-hunters, more buckets and shrimping nets. Each month of the season brings its episode — in 2026, mid-June (95), mid-July (98) and above all mid-August (102) — and turns an ordinary seaside holiday into a full-scale lesson in tidal range: the beach where you laid your towel in the morning is under four metres of water by mid-afternoon.
A day set to the tide
The local reflex takes one stay to learn: you check the tide time before the weather. At low water, head for the foreshore — the crossing to the Grand Bé, shrimp pools between the breakwaters, and shellfish foraging in full swing on the big coefficients. On the rising tide, it is swimming hour: the water comes back over sun-warmed sand and gains the degrees that separate a Brittany swim from a good Brittany swim. At high water, the circuit of the ramparts takes on another dimension, the sea lapping below the battlements.
The times shift by about an hour a day: use the official SHOM widget on this page to plan your days, and the calendar to see whether your holiday week lands on an episode.
The crowds, August’s other tide
The August episode is the family rendezvous of the year, and it shows: a steady file on the Grand Bé causeway, the Rothéneuf foreshore dotted with foragers, beaches packed on the rising tide. You work around it by playing the offsets — the morning low water rather than the afternoon one, the eastern beaches rather than the Sillon — and you book early: the module at the top of this page targets the next episode’s dates.
Summer breeds confidence: that is the trap
Summer is when the flood tide catches the most people out: the water is mild, the light is reassuring, you linger. Yet the rule does not change with the seasons: check the official SHOM tide times, start back as soon as the tide turns, and never cross to an islet on a rising tide — not even to finish a sandcastle. The August sea rises exactly as fast as the November one.
Written and kept up to date by a Saint-Malo local in love with this coast. The story behind this guide
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Spring tides 2026 in Saint-Malo
| Dates | Max coef. | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 16–17 June 2026 | 95 | summer |
| 16–17 July 2026 | 98 | summer |
| 13–15 August 2026Next spring tide | 102 | summer |
Official tide times for Saint-Malo
Tide predictions provided by SHOM (French national hydrographic office). If the widget does not load, the official tide times remain available below.
When are the summer spring tides in Saint-Malo?
Roughly one episode a month, around full or new moon. In 2026: mid-June (coefficient 95), mid-July (98) and mid-August (102, the summer's strongest). The dates of the next occurrence are shown at the top of this page; for the precise times of high and low water, check the official SHOM widget.
What should you do during a summer spring tide?
At low water: the giant foreshore, family shellfish foraging, the walk out to the Grand Bé and Fort National. On the rising tide: a swim over sun-warmed sand, the best bathe of the day. At high water: the circuit of the ramparts with the sea at their foot. The whole art is to plan the day around the tide time — it shifts every day.
Are there waves over the sea wall in summer?
Rarely: it would take a formed swell coinciding with a spring high water, which is mostly an autumn and winter affair. In summer the spring tide is lived on the foreshore — it is the season of record crowds on the Grand Bé causeway, not of spray over the Sillon. Our index estimates it episode by episode.
Should you book accommodation for a summer spring tide?
Yes, though for a different reason than at the equinox: it is peak tourist season, and the spring tide dates add the foraging regulars to the summer clientele. The August episode, the summer's strongest, books out months ahead — the module at the top of the page targets its dates directly.