Map › France › Hyères - Presqu'île de Giens (L'Almanarre) › Cabasson
Provence-Côte d'Azur · Var · Bormes-les-Mimosas
Cabasson
also known as Plage de Cabasson, Fort de Brégançon, Plage de Brégançon
Nearby Plage de l'Argentière 6 km · L'Ayguade - Le Mérou 12 km · L'Almanarre 16 km · Brutal Beach 42 km · straight-line distance
Mistral
03:00
On the clock
16:00 · 17:00
Nothing thermal to wait for. A set Mistral blows overnight and is in at dawn, and through the winter half the reanalysis shows little difference between 03:00 and mid-afternoon, so the forecast decides the day and not the clock. The warm months do have a daily curve, light near 5 kt at dawn and peaking around 16:00-17:00, but those are the months the beach is closed to kites.
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
synoptic
fills in: Nothing thermal to wait for. A set Mistral blows overnight and is in at dawn, and through the winter half the reanalysis shows little difference between 03:00 and mid-afternoon, so the forecast decides the day and not the clock. The warm months do have a daily curve, light near 5 kt at dawn and peaking around 16:00-17:00, but those are the months the beach is closed to kites.
Typical strength
Mistral days and little else. No local anemometer average is published; indicative from 2016-2025 reanalysis over the bay, 12 kt or more shows in roughly a quarter of all hours from November to April against about one hour in nine in August, and 20 kt or more in 3-5 percent of hours in the winter half. Sessions here happen at the top of that spread rather than at the mean, and riding days are reportedly around 23 kt.
Also on record
23.1 knots reportedly; basis unconfirmed
The quiver, in words
Indicative, no local size survey: 75-85 kg on a working Mistral day is 7-9 m, dropping to 5-6 m once it is properly on and the wave stands up. A 10-12 m only earns its place on the soft edges of a Mistral, and days that light are rarely worth the drive out here.
Direction to shore
side-on to side-shore for NW Mistral
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month45
- Feb, riders' month21
- Mar, riders' month55
- Apr, riders' month45
- May, riders' month26
- Jun40
- Jul39
- Aug23
- Sep37
- Oct, riders' month40
- Nov, riders' month50
- Dec, riders' month40
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 45%Jan15°
- 21%Feb14°
- 55%Mar14°
- 45%Apr15°
- 26%May18°
- 40%Jun22°
- 39%Jul25°
- 23%Aug26°
- 37%Sep24°
- 40%Oct21°
- 50%Nov18°
- 40%Dec15°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45% | 60% | 58% | 13.6 kt | W | 15:00 | 9.2°C | 14.6°C | 62 |
| Feb | 21% | 40% | 35% | 11.3 kt | E | 15:00 | 10.1°C | 14°C | 57 |
| Mar | 55% | 69% | 65% | 15.4 kt | WSW | 14:00 | 11.9°C | 14.2°C | 62 |
| Apr | 45% | 73% | 67% | 15.5 kt | WSW | 16:00 | 14°C | 15.1°C | 60 |
| May | 26% | 52% | 44% | 13.4 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 18°C | 18.3°C | 62 |
| Jun | 40% | 58% | 45% | 13.3 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 22.7°C | 22.1°C | 60 |
| Jul | 39% | 60% | 56% | 13.9 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 26.4°C | 24.6°C | 62 |
| Aug | 23% | 47% | 39% | 12.4 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 25.8°C | 25.5°C | 62 |
| Sep | 37% | 57% | 52% | 13 kt | E | 15:00 | 21.4°C | 23.7°C | 60 |
| Oct | 40% | 65% | 61% | 13.8 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 18.6°C | 20.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 50% | 72% | 62% | 15 kt | W | 14:00 | 13.4°C | 17.6°C | 60 |
| Dec | 40% | 55% | 52% | 13.5 kt | W | 14:00 | 10.3°C | 15.3°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
sea
Standing depth
Fine sand with a standable strip near the shore, and because the Mediterranean tide is negligible it reads the same at any hour. It is not a shallow flat to practise on: the bottom falls away as you go out, and there are rocks under the surface toward the Pointe de Bregancon end.
Tides
Small Mediterranean tide range; no Cabasson-specific tidal riding constraint.
Temperature
23.1°C summer · 14.6°C winter
Wetsuit
Summer shorty or light neoprene depending on wind; winter full wetsuit for Mistral sessions.
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
4 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: medium
Somewhere else
Plage de l'Argentière, 6 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Launch from Plage de Cabasson near Route du Bout du Monde / Hameau de Cabasson. Access is via the CaPaLo/Cabasson parking area, then across small vegetated dunes to the beach.
Space
medium
Rules & access
- 2026-2027: the Cabasson kitesurf spot is listed as open from 1 October 2026 to 31 May 2027, every day, free of charge, and gliding activities are prohibited on the beach in the summer period.
- 2026: entry to the Parc Capalo car park behind the beach is paid from April to October. The municipal order behind the summer ban is not published online, so the dates above are the published open period rather than a quotation from the decree; daily updated municipal orders and water-quality analyses are posted at the lifeguard posts in season.
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Do not rig in the summer ban period unless the signage on the beach says the rule has changed; the 2026-2027 window is 1 October to 31 May.
- Pack your smallest kite: a real Mistral day here is strong, with chop and a regular wave.
- Parking at CaPaLo is paid; check the closing hour and whether overnight parking is allowed before you leave the van there.
- If the ban is on or the waves are too much, drive to Almanarre or Le Mérou and ask the schools there which one works in the day's direction.
- Winter water is 14.6 C: full wetsuit, not a shorty.
- Do not rig in the summer ban period unless the signage on the beach shows the rule has changed; the 2026-2027 window is 1 October to 31 May.
- The months with lifeguards and a patrol boat are exactly the months you cannot kite. From November to March, ride with someone.
- Paid entry at Parc Capalo runs April to October, so most of the kite season is outside the paying window.
- Keep off the Pointe de Bregancon end when a wave is running; there are rocks under the surface there.
Getting there
Airport
Toulon-Hyères is the closest airport, about 20 km away; Marseille Provence and Nice Côte d'Azur are both about 130 km.
Route
Drive toward Bormes-les-Mimosas, then Route du Bout du Monde / Hameau de Cabasson, and park at the Cabasson/CaPaLo car park. Zou regional buses reach Bormes and trains run to Hyères or Toulon, but with kite gear you want a car.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Bormes-les-Mimosas, La Favière, Le Lavandou and local campsites/hotels provide nearby stays; no kite-specific accommodation at the launch.
No-wind days
Fort de Brégançon visit, Cabasson-Brégançon beaches, the coastal path to Plage du Pellegrin, Bormes old village, cycling, wine estates, kayaking/paddle and boat trips.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite Cabasson?
The tourism office lists the kitesurf spot as open from 1 October 2026 to 31 May 2027, with gliding activities prohibited in summer.
Is Cabasson suitable for beginners?
No independent beginner setup or rescue service is verified; amateurs and professionals are described using the beach on Mistral days.
What is the wind like at Cabasson?
NW to WNW/W Mistral is the main condition, with side-on to side-shore exposure and chop or regular waves in strong wind.
Are there rules or restricted zones at Cabasson?
Gliding activities are prohibited during the summer period under the official 2026-2027 opening dates, and parking at the beach is paid.
Last updated: August 2026