An overview of the coastline between Cannes, the Croisette, the Golfe Juan and the approaches to the Île Sainte‑Marguerite. This very busy area requires you to tell apart harbour entrances, swimming zones, mooring buoys and anchoring rules.
The marine view shows the EMODnet seabed profile, depth contours and OpenSeaMap buoyage. The aerial view keeps the ports, buoyage and PING zones. Drag the map, use the zoom or double-click to zoom in; click a zone to read its title and open PING.
Ideas for enjoying the water from the boat or the shore, without turning a regulated zone into a place to practise them. The day’s conditions, the official chart and the buoyage always have the final say.
The bay can host a swimming, snorkelling or paddleboard break only away from harbour traffic, channels, mooring buoys and regulated zones. For the islands, also open the Lérins guide before anyone gets in the water.
From the shore, paddleboarding and kayaking are organised from authorised zones and providers; the immediate surroundings of the Croisette, the ports and the heliport call for extra vigilance.
Do not rely on an area that looks clear: during events, PING and the day’s buoyage can change what is possible.
The bay is busy with boats leaving the ports, shuttles, rental boats, sailing boats and water activities. Closer to the shore, activity becomes even denser. An open route to the islands must never turn into a course that cuts across a harbour entrance or a buoyed zone.
The ports and seafront of Cannes impose several rules, which are shown on the map via PING. Specific regulations also apply around the heliport on the Quai du Large. Do not cross an operating zone or stop close to it: signage and instructions from the authorities take precedence.
The Îles de Lérins guide explains the Sainte‑Anne ZMEL (organised mooring buoys). This page reminds you of its place in the bay as a whole: the cove is organised, anchoring around it is regulated, and an area that looks available from offshore may not be. Read the regulations and access conditions before you turn up.
At Golfe‑Juan, the coastal strip rules, anchoring in the roadstead and mooring buoys appear on the map. The swinging circle of a mooring buoy is not a place to swim or stop. Keep a clear margin, watch vessel movements and never treat the map as a promise of availability.
The views of the landscape, the islands and the capes make this area a good place to explore from offshore. Paddleboarding, snorkelling and swimming should only be considered outside prohibited zones, traffic routes and buoyed areas. A lookout on board, identifiable buoyancy equipment and a simple return area protect you better than an ambitious destination.
Regattas, festivals, fireworks and harbour operations can change the space available. Temporary restrictions are not inferred by SunSea Hub: check PING and the port notices on the day you leave. If the day’s map does not match your plan, change the time, the programme or the area.
The refuelling points in the area are Cannes Vieux-Port, Cannes Pierre Canto and Port Gallice in Antibes Juan-les-Pins. The choice depends on your position, the traffic between the bay and the islands, and the port’s entry instructions.
Before heading for a pump, open the fuel stations page: it brings together the contacts and details the published information. Do not cross a swimming zone, a channel or a passage simply to shorten your approach.
Off the Croisette, the whole 300 m coastal strip is a no-motor zone, from the Jetée Albert-Édouard to the western jetty of Port Canto (order 251/2026). You may only enter it through the channels: seven water-ski channels (Majestic, Mademoiselle Gray, Hyde Beach, Palais Stéphanie, Carlton, Miramar, Martinez) and the Poste Macé channel (300 m by 31 m), at 5 knots, without stopping or anchoring. From 1st June to 30 September, anchoring is prohibited off the Croisette beach, including beyond 300 m (order). Between Port Canto and Port Pointe Croisette, it is prohibited all year round.
From 1st October 2026 to 31 May 2027, from 7 am to 6 pm, construction work on the Carlton pontoon creates a prohibited zone, with machinery in the water (order 377/2026).
When leaving the ski channels, towing boats may exceed 5 knots up to the 300 m limit: keep your distance.
At Golfe-Juan, a 25 m by 300 m ski channel and a no-motor zone run along the Plage du Soleil up to the breakwater of the Quai Saint-Pierre; the Plage du Midi has its own no-motor zone next to Port Camille Rayon. Anchoring in the harbour passage is prohibited from 1st June to 30 September, and over a wider zone for the rest of the year (order 162/2025). Jet skis are only allowed there to reach the ports, at 5 knots.
Works are announced in both Golfe-Juan ports from September 2026 to February 2028 (Ville de Vallauris Golfe-Juan).
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| 300 m coastal strip | 5 knots, measured from the shore, islets and breakwaters, even without buoyage; also 5 knots within 100 m of a diving flag (order 109/2024). |
| Cannes roadstead | 10 knots in the zone bounded by the lines south jetty lighthouse–Pointe Batéguier and Palm Beach casino–Fort Sainte-Marguerite (order 36/2016). |
| Channels | 5 knots, no stopping or anchoring; mooring to buoyage buoys is prohibited. |
| Jet skis | Prohibited within 300 m of Cannes and in the roadstead, except in the Béal channel. |
| Anchoring time | 72 hours in the same place; after that, a boat under 24 m without AIS must move at least 500 m away (order 77/2025). |
| Quai du Large heliport | Navigation prohibited within 150 m, anchoring within 385 m (order). |
| Large vessels | 24 m and over: anchoring seaward of a set line (order 205/2020); 45 m and over: mandatory zones (order 157/2024). |
| Port | What the port or town publishes |
|---|---|
| Port Pierre Canto | 553 berths, up to 90 m; VHF 9 24 hours a day; 04 92 18 84 84; self-service fuel by card from 6 am to 10 pm (Ville de Cannes). |
| Vieux-Port de Cannes | 645 berths, up to 140 m; 04 92 98 70 21 (IGY); VHF 12 and fuel from 9 am to 8 pm according to the town’s leaflet (leaflet). Departure point for the shuttles to Lérins. |
| Port du Mouré Rouge | 450 berths, 8.99 m and 1.40 m draught maximum; VHF 9, 04 93 94 37 71; slipway (Ville de Cannes). |
| Port Pointe Croisette | 272 berths, 8.99 m maximum; free slipway 24 hours a day (Ville de Cannes). |
| Port Camille Rayon (Golfe-Juan) | 98 visitor berths, up to 75 m; VHF 9 24 hours a day, 04 93 63 30 30; fuel, standard and duty-free, 04 93 63 69 77 (Ville de Vallauris Golfe-Juan). |
| Vieux-Port de Golfe-Juan | 132 visitor berths, 34 m maximum; VHF 12, 04 93 63 96 25 (Ville de Vallauris Golfe-Juan). |
Four companies leave from the Quai Laubeuf for the Îles de Lérins (Ville de Cannes), and another from the Quai Saint-Pierre in Golfe-Juan from April to September: give them priority to manoeuvre in the passages. Cruise ships anchor in the roadstead, with port calls capped since December 2025.
Every year, several events close part of the bay: during the summer Festival d’art pyrotechnique, a zone is prohibited from 30 minutes before to 30 minutes after each display, between the shore and the line of the Vieux-Port and Port Canto jetties (2026 order); around the Yachting Festival in September, anchoring by vessels of 24 m and over is prohibited in the roadstead (2026 order). Check that year’s orders before heading out on a festival evening.
Sources consulted on 26 September 2026. None of the beach restaurants consulted advertises access from the sea. The CCI and Riviera Ports websites were not responding: the data on the Golfe-Juan ports come from the town.
Cannes, Golfe‑Juan / Camille Rayon, Port Gallice and Vauban are the nearby refuelling points depending on your position. The map in this guide shows the ports; the directory gives the contacts and conditions to check.