Sec de la Jaune Garde

The sec stands in the open channel between the north-western tip of Porquerolles and the Giens peninsula, with its exposed side facing the W-NW approach down the Giens channel — the exact throat that a Mistral or Tramontane blows through, funnelling wind-sea onto the rock and generating the strong currents the site is known for. The WNW-NW-W sector is fully open, with W-Med wind chop and Libeccio from the SW also reaching it across the western approach. To the south-east and south the bulk of Porquerolles and the Petit Langoustier islet block those sectors, and the Giens peninsula limits the due-north window, so easterly and southerly weather leaves the site relatively calm. There is no true ocean swell in this basin; it is the local NW-W wind fetch through the channel that drives conditions and decides whether the dive is on.