Plage de Folle Anse (Grand-Bourg): sargassum today
Clear
All good
Folle Anse unrolls a long ribbon of sand north of Grand-Bourg, on the western side of Marie-Galante. It is one of the largest beaches on the island, and the atmosphere changes from one end to the other. This page follows sargassum at Folle Anse: today's state, a rating from 0 to 5 and a map of the sector.
The bulletin is rebuilt every morning and carries the trend of recent days. Useful before picking an access track, since the beach is long enough for conditions to differ along it. Handy too if you are arriving on the boat from mainland Guadeloupe and want a plan settled before you land.
Plage de Folle Anse on the sargassum map
What to know about this beach
Folle Anse looks west over the Caribbean Sea, on the sheltered flank of Marie-Galante. The easterly trade winds that carry sargassum rafts come from behind the island, pushing the sea offshore rather than onto this side. Strandings on this coast are generally rarer and smaller than on the Capesterre shore.
The shape of the beach counts too. Long, open and without an enclosed head of bay, it traps far less weed than a small cove: whatever arrives spreads over hundreds of metres and leaves again more readily with the longshore current. Behind the sand, dry forest and coastal wetlands keep development at a distance, so how a stranding evolves here depends mainly on wind, swell and current.
Frequently asked questions
Is Folle Anse heavily exposed to sargassum?
Less so than the windward coast. It faces west on the leeward flank of Marie-Galante, and its length, with no closed head of bay, stops weed from piling up in a single spot.
How do I find out today's conditions at Folle Anse?
This page shows a 0 to 5 rating for Folle Anse each morning, together with a map of the shoreline. Check it before setting off, because yesterday's picture says little about today.
Are conditions the same along the whole beach?
Not always. On a sand ribbon this long, a patch can settle on one section while the rest stays clear. The rating summarises the site, so walking a few hundred metres often helps.
Anything to be careful about at Folle Anse?
The shoreline backs onto dry forest and wetlands, and the area is known as a nesting site for sea turtles. Stick to the existing access paths and avoid digging into the upper beach.