Map › France › Hyères - Presqu'île de Giens (L'Almanarre) › Brutal Beach
Provence-Côte d'Azur · Var · Six-Fours-les-Plages
Brutal Beach
also known as Plage de Bonnegrâce, Bonnegrâce, Plage de Bonnegrace, Bonnegrace
Nearby Les Lecques 12 km · Grande Plage de La Ciotat 17 km · L'Almanarre 26 km · L'Ayguade - Le Mérou 30 km · Plage de l'Argentière 36 km · Prado Beaches 39 km · Cabasson 42 km · straight-line distance
Mistral
03:00
On the clock
15:00 · 17:00 · 19:00
No thermal to wait for. When the Mistral is set it blows overnight and is already in at first light, and in the winter half the difference between 03:00 and mid-afternoon is small. In the warm half there is a daily lift on top: indicative from 2016-2025 reanalysis, the mean climbs from about 5 kt at dawn to a peak between 15:00 and 17:00, then eases after 19:00.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
locals call it Mistral
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: No thermal to wait for. When the Mistral is set it blows overnight and is already in at first light, and in the winter half the difference between 03:00 and mid-afternoon is small. In the warm half there is a daily lift on top: indicative from 2016-2025 reanalysis, the mean climbs from about 5 kt at dawn to a peak between 15:00 and 17:00, then eases after 19:00.
Typical strength
The days that work are Mistral days, not sea-breeze days. There is no beach anemometer average to quote; indicative from 2016-2025 reanalysis over the bay, 12 kt or more turns up in about a quarter of all hours from January to April and in roughly one hour in seven through July and August, while 15 kt or more is around one hour in seven in winter against one in fifteen in August. Riding days themselves are reportedly near 22 kt, which is what a working Mistral feels like rather than what an ordinary day does.
Thermal or synoptic
synoptic
The quiver, in words
Indicative, no local size survey: for 75-85 kg a 9 m covers a moderate day, 7 m once the Mistral is properly on, and 5 m for the hard days the beach is named after. A 12 m only belongs on the marginal in-between days, and it is more kite than you want to land through a stacked shorebreak.
Direction to shore
SW is side-on to onshore for the Bonnegrace beach; W/NW are side-shore to side-on depending on the exact launch and tack.
Dominant direction
SW, W, WNW, NW; S also works; E/NE is unconfirmed either way.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan51
- Feb53
- Mar66
- Apr, riders' month60
- May, riders' month33
- Jun, riders' month46
- Jul, riders' month57
- Aug, riders' month41
- Sep, riders' month58
- Oct, riders' month49
- Nov60
- Dec52
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.
- 12Jan15°
- 12Feb14°
- 14Mar14°
- 14Apr15°
- 10May18°
- 11Jun22°
- 12Jul24°
- 11Aug25°
- 12Sep23°
- 12Oct21°
- 13Nov18°
- 12Dec16°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51% | 11.7 kt | WNW | 9.6°C | 14.8°C |
| Feb | 53% | 11.9 kt | WNW | 10.6°C | 14.1°C |
| Mar | 66% | 13.9 kt | E | 12.1°C | 14.2°C |
| Apr | 60% | 13.7 kt | WNW | 14.2°C | 14.9°C |
| May | 33% | 10.3 kt | W | 18.4°C | 17.9°C |
| Jun | 46% | 11.4 kt | W | 22.9°C | 21.9°C |
| Jul | 57% | 12 kt | W | 26.5°C | 23.6°C |
| Aug | 41% | 10.8 kt | W | 26°C | 24.7°C |
| Sep | 58% | 12.1 kt | WNW | 21.6°C | 23.1°C |
| Oct | 49% | 11.5 kt | E | 19°C | 20.6°C |
| Nov | 60% | 12.6 kt | WNW | 13.8°C | 17.5°C |
| Dec | 52% | 11.7 kt | WNW | 10.8°C | 15.6°C |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024
The water
Type
sea
Standing depth
Gravel underfoot on the beach, sand once you are in, and a standable strip along the shore that stays the same all day because the tide barely moves here. It is not a lagoon. What you deal with on the way out is the shorebreak, not the depth.
Tides
Tide-independent; Mediterranean tidal range is not a session driver.
Temperature
24°C summer · 13.6°C winter
Wetsuit
Shorty or 2 mm top in warm months when windy; full wetsuit off-season.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
5 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: medium
Somewhere else
Les Lecques, 12 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Rig on the long gravel/sandy Plage de Bonnegrace along Promenade du General de Gaulle near the port and tourist office.
Space
medium
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Ask about the summer kite ban before you rig; the dates are unconfirmed and the spot is signed as open all year.
- In SW, watch the shorebreak from the beach for a while before you commit to a launch.
- Stay clear of the rocky breakwaters and of the group that rigs near the dike.
- Expect the wind to drop right behind the dike; you will not feel its real strength until you are past it.
- In high season arrive early: the parking near Bonnegrace fills fast.
Getting there
Airport
Toulon-Hyeres (TLN) is the closest airport; Marseille Provence (MRS) is a larger alternative.
Route
Six-Fours-les-Plages is reached by road via the A50 corridor and by rail via La Seyne-Six-Fours or Ollioules-Sanary-sur-Mer with a local bus or taxi connection.
Transfer
45 min
Staying
Stay in Six-Fours-les-Plages, Sanary-sur-Mer, or Toulon; the spot is an urban beach with nearby resort accommodation rather than a kite camp setup.
No-wind days
Ile des Embiez · Sanary-sur-Mer waterfront · Toulon · coastal walks and beaches around Six-Fours
Photos
FAQ
Is Brutal Beach suitable for beginners?
No, it is rated advanced to intermediate-plus, recommended only for experienced riders when conditions build.
What is the wind like at Brutal Beach?
SW, W, WNW and NW are the main directions, with the Mistral producing the strongest sessions and the best wave quality reported once the wind settles.
Are there rules or restricted zones at Brutal Beach?
The spot is listed as open all year, but kiteboarding is reportedly forbidden in summer, and riding zones must be respected.
What hazards are there at Brutal Beach?
Hazards include intense shorebreak in southwest wind, rocky breakwaters, and a wind shadow behind the dike at the launch.
Last updated: August 2026