Map › Netherlands › Cadzand-Bad
North Sea / Baltic Europe · Zeeland Delta - Scheldt mouth
Cadzand-Bad
Nearby Knokke-Heist 9 km · Zeebrugge 14 km · Blankenberge 19 km · Domburg / Westkapelle 22 km · Vrouwenpolder 29 km · Bredene 33 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
No daily thermal cycle. The wind is frontal and can be in at any hour, so the session window is set by the tide and by daylight rather than by an hour the wind fills in.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
synoptic
fills in: No daily thermal cycle. The wind is frontal and can be in at any hour, so the session window is set by the tide and by daylight rather than by an hour the wind fills in.
Typical strength
The Cadzand station, 0.6 km from the beach, averages 12 kt from the west with 15 kt gusts across observations from 2002 to 2026. The usable band quoted for Vlamingpolder is 14-25 kt. A 12 kt long-run average is the honest warning: plenty of days here are not kite days.
Also on record
12
The quiver, in words
Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, derived from the wind band rather than measured: 12 m at the 14-16 kt bottom end, 9-10 m through 18-22 kt, 7 m once a front puts it at 25 kt. Depression wind is gusty, so size for the gust and not for the average.
Direction to shore
SW and NE are reportedly sideshore. W is the direction you want, and N/NW/W are the safe sector at Vlamingpolder.
Dominant direction
SW, WSW, W, WNW and NW are the usual winds. The safe sector is N/NW/W at Vlamingpolder and N/NW/W/SW at Cadzand-bad West.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan76
- Feb81
- Mar, riders' month62
- Apr, riders' month78
- May, riders' month60
- Jun62
- Jul60
- Aug59
- Sep, riders' month50
- Oct, riders' month74
- Nov, riders' month73
- Dec70
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov.
- 16Jan7°
- 17Feb7°
- 14Mar8°
- 15Apr11°
- 12May15°
- 13Jun19°
- 13Jul20°
- 12Aug21°
- 12Sep20°
- 14Oct15°
- 15Nov11°
- 15Dec7°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76% | 15.9 kt | SW | 5.5°C | 6.6°C |
| Feb | 81% | 17.2 kt | WSW | 7.1°C | 6.9°C |
| Mar | 62% | 13.5 kt | S | 7.9°C | 8.1°C |
| Apr | 78% | 14.7 kt | NNE | 9.7°C | 10.8°C |
| May | 60% | 12.3 kt | N | 13.4°C | 14.6°C |
| Jun | 62% | 12.7 kt | NNE | 16.8°C | 18.5°C |
| Jul | 60% | 12.9 kt | WSW | 18.2°C | 19.9°C |
| Aug | 59% | 12 kt | WSW | 19.1°C | 20.7°C |
| Sep | 50% | 12.1 kt | SSW | 16.9°C | 19.8°C |
| Oct | 74% | 13.5 kt | SW | 13.7°C | 15.3°C |
| Nov | 73% | 15.3 kt | SSW | 8.9°C | 11°C |
| Dec | 70% | 15.3 kt | SSW | 6.3°C | 7.3°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
mixed
Standing depth
Unresolved. Cadzand-Bad West and Vlamingpolder are both described as deep, Vlamingpolder is elsewhere described as shallow, and Cadzand Bad is described as shallow and flat with chop and small waves.
Tides
Tidal North Sea beach. High tide is the window to aim for, and the size of the launch moves with the tide; inside Het Zwin there is reportedly flat water at high water.
Temperature
19.7°C summer · 5.5°C winter
Wetsuit
A 5/3 mm fullsuit is the normal choice, with a shorty possible in July and August. August water sits near 19.7 C, February near 5.5 C.
Currents
There is a lot of current. The piers block some of it and are themselves hard and sharp.
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
2 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: huge
Somewhere else
Knokke-Heist, 9 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
VHF channel 16
Launch
Vlamingpolder is north of Moio Beach: parking on Vlamingpolderweg, sand, and plenty of room to start and land. For Cadzand-bad West, park at the 't Zwin visitor centre and walk to the beach, or park at Noorddijk, roughly a 5 minute walk to the beach cafe, and rig left of the cafe.
Space
huge
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Decide on Vlamingpolder or West/Het Zwin before you leave: different level, different launch, different safe directions.
- Take the high tide for the flat water inside Het Zwin, and expect the same tide to hide the pole rows and eat the beach.
- Read the beach signs and the yellow buoys when you arrive; the markings on the sand beat anything you read at home.
- Wear boots if you will be near the mussel beds or the hard groynes and piers.
- Park on Vlamingpolderweg for Vlamingpolder; for West, use the 't Zwin visitor centre or Noorddijk, about 5 minutes walk from the beach cafe.
- Ask Cadzand Sports or the riders on the sand how the swimmer and kite split works in July and August.
- Put 0900-0111 and 112 in your phone. The lifeboat is volunteer-crewed and about ten minutes from launching once alerted.
- In July and August the school takes no bookings, so lessons are walk-up.
- The zone boundaries are counted in strandvakken: 15 to 18 at Vlamingpolder, 26 to the Zwingeul at West.
Getting there
Airport
Brussels Airport (BRU) at about 120 km and Antwerp (ANR) at about 100 km. Ostend-Bruges Airport is geographically closer, unconfirmed as a kite-travel route.
Route
By car, park at Vlamingpolderweg or Noorddijk for Vlamingpolder, or use the 't Zwin visitor-centre access for West, depending on which zone you are riding. Regional train and bus links reach the Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and Belgian border towns, but the last leg is awkward with kite gear.
Transfer
115 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Cadzand-Bad is a beach resort: hotels, holiday apartments, vacation homes and campsites in the village and around Sluis and Nieuwvliet.
No-wind days
SUP and beach activities with Cadzand Sports and Moio, the walk around Het Zwin, the Cadzand boulevard and its beach cafes, cycling in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, Sluis, or crossing to Knokke.
Photos
FAQ
Is Cadzand-Bad suitable for beginners?
It depends on the zone: Vlamingpolder is rated advanced because of current, waves and pole hazards, while the West/Het Zwin zone near the beach cafe is separately listed as beginner-friendly.
What is the wind like?
Westerly-sector frontal wind is the main driver, gusty and depression-dependent, with SW and NE reported sideshore and W as the top recommended direction.
When is the best time to go?
Best months are March, April, May, September, October and November, within a broader April-November season; both zones stay open year-round.
What hazards should riders know?
Rows of wooden poles can hide at high tide, currents and wave breakers are present, and hard piers and mussel beds add sharp hazards, especially at Vlamingpolder.
Last updated: August 2026