Carnon seasonal overview
Best Surf Season (November - March)
For a spot that faces south-southeast into the Gulf of Lion, Carnon is a fickle, wind-driven surf break. The best windows come from November through March, when Mediterranean low pressure systems crank up SE to S windswell and the average wave height climbs back to around 2ft (0.6m). Average periods are still only 4.6-4.7s, so this is punchy, beach-break surf rather than long-period groundswell, but the numbers are squarely in your favour: offshore N/NNW/NW flow is common and the ideal-wind window reaches its annual peak of 9% in December. These are the months to plan around.
Fair Surf Season (April, May, September, October)
The shoulder months are more of a lottery. April still sees over half of the swell arriving from the optimal S/SE/SSE window, but the wind is increasingly onshore and the average period stays at 4.6s. October marks the autumn ramp, with SE swell hitting an annual maximum near 19% and wave heights returning to 2ft (0.6m). However, ideal surf only comes together 4-7% of the time. These months can deliver the odd glassy morning under a NW wind, but you have to be ready to move when the charts align.
Low Surf Season (June - August)
Summer is a flat, dirge-like stretch for Carnon. Average wave heights bottom out at 1-1.3ft (0.3-0.4m), average periods slump to 3.5-3.8s, and the ideal-wind window collapses to just 2%. South-facing swell still shows up in the statistics, but almost all of it is below 0.5m. High pressure, seabreezes and warm 22-23°C water make it a great beach holiday, but nearly worthless for surf. Grab a longboard or a surf trip itinerary.