The 300 m coastal strip: what changes near the shore

• 5 knots maximum (about 9 km/h) within 300 m of the shore, for every boat, motor or sail. The limit is general and permanent: it applies even where no buoy marks the strip.
• The strip is measured from the water's edge at the time you pass; on the Channel and Atlantic coasts it moves with the tide. Under the Atlantic and Mediterranean orders, it also goes round islands, islets and rocks that stand above water.
• Marked swimming zones are closed to boats. To reach or leave a beach, use the access channel where there is one, marked by yellow buoys: cylindrical on one side, conical on the other.
• Local rules apply on top: orders of the maritime prefect and the town council, beach by beach. Some areas beyond 300 m have their own limit, such as 10 knots for boats with an engine off Cap Croisette, Marseille, since 23 April 2026. On the Mediterranean salt lagoons, 5 knots applies over the whole lagoon. In a harbour, the harbour rules apply.

The rules come from one general order per maritime prefecture: Channel and North Sea (no. 41/2018), Atlantic (no. 2018/090) and Mediterranean, Corsica included (no. 109/2024). Each allows exceptions in some channels or zones; the town council publishes its beach rules at the town hall and on the beach.

On the Cap Calme map, the 300 m strip shows as a light shade when you zoom in on the coast ("Zones shown"). When you plan a trip, every stretch inside it is counted at 5 knots at most in the time and fuel, and the summary tells you how much of the route runs inside it. With a fast boat, the route moves away from the coast when that is quicker. The strip is drawn 300 m from the map's coastline, islets included: it does not follow the tide, and Cap Calme does not know every beach channel or local exception. Near a beach, the buoys and signs on site are what count.

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Quick answers

Does a sailing boat have to keep to 5 knots?

Yes, the limit covers all boats, motor or sail. The only exceptions are those set by the orders: on the Atlantic coast, for example, windsurfers and kitesurfers inside the channels or zones the town council reserves for them.

Jet skis, water skiing?

Inside the strip, a jet ski keeps to 5 knots and uses its own channel, or goes as straight as possible between the shore and open water. Water skiing and towed rides take place in daylight, beyond 300 m.

Can I anchor within 300 m?

Never in a marked swimming zone. Elsewhere, anchoring may be restricted locally: check the order for the area.