Map › France › Landes - Hossegor/Seignosse › Les Cavaliers
Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Cote Basque, Pyrenees-Atlantiques · Pyrénées-Atlantiques · Anglet
Les Cavaliers
also known as Plage des Cavaliers, Anglet Cavaliers
Nearby Capbreton 15 km · Hossegor (south beach) 17 km · Estagnots Beach (Seignosse) 20 km · Hondarribia 27 km · Moliets-Plage 38 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Can strengthen rapidly in the afternoon via thermal effects, layered on top of the dominant Atlantic frontal (synoptic) wind
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Can strengthen rapidly in the afternoon via thermal effects, layered on top of the dominant Atlantic frontal (synoptic) wind
Typical strength
Around 23.8 kt average, a single unconfirmed figure; plausible for an autumn and winter storm-driven Atlantic beach.
Also on record
23.8
Direction to shore
The beach faces due west into the open Atlantic. The dominant W and NW arrive straight onshore, so the shorebreak and the surf lineup are what stand between you and clean water. N runs side-shore down the sand and SW comes side-on from the southern end.E and NE blow off the land, over the pine forest and the dune, and turn broken and offshore; they are usually treated as unfavourable on this stretch of Anglet, although the opposite reading, NE and E as the ideal side-shore, is also in circulation (see contradictions).
Dominant direction
W, NW
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month37
- Feb, riders' month39
- Mar, riders' month48
- Apr52
- May46
- Jun43
- Jul33
- Aug34
- Sep32
- Oct48
- Nov, riders' month54
- Dec, riders' month41
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov, Dec.
- 11Jan13°
- 12Feb13°
- 12Mar13°
- 12Apr15°
- 11May17°
- 11Jun21°
- 10Jul23°
- 11Aug24°
- 11Sep23°
- 11Oct20°
- 13Nov17°
- 11Dec14°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37% | 11.1 kt | E | 8.4°C | 13.1°C |
| Feb | 39% | 11.5 kt | E | 9.6°C | 12.8°C |
| Mar | 48% | 12.1 kt | W | 12.3°C | 13.3°C |
| Apr | 52% | 12.4 kt | W | 13.2°C | 14.9°C |
| May | 46% | 11 kt | W | 16.3°C | 17.3°C |
| Jun | 43% | 10.7 kt | NW | 19.9°C | 21.3°C |
| Jul | 33% | 10.4 kt | WNW | 21.4°C | 22.8°C |
| Aug | 34% | 10.6 kt | WNW | 22.1°C | 24°C |
| Sep | 32% | 10.7 kt | W | 19.7°C | 22.6°C |
| Oct | 48% | 11.4 kt | E | 18.6°C | 20.1°C |
| Nov | 54% | 13.1 kt | E | 13.6°C | 16.9°C |
| Dec | 41% | 11.4 kt | E | 10.5°C | 14.2°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
waves
Standing depth
Shallow and walkable at low tide; deeper wave-riding water at high tide
Tides
Semi-diurnal Atlantic tide with a real effect: low to mid tide is the walkable, more kiteable state, high tide is deeper wave water. The tidal range in metres has not been sourced.
Temperature
Summer 19-23 (peaks around 22-23 in August)
Winter 12-14 (coldest around February)
Wetsuit
Year-round on this coast: roughly 4/3 mm with boots and a hood in winter (water about 12 C), 3/2 mm down to a shorty in summer (water about 21-23 C).
Currents
Strong rip currents, worse near the Adour river mouth and near tidal channels at low tide
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
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: tight
Somewhere else
Capbreton, 15 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
Launch from the Cavaliers sand only in the legal window (see rules), and not in the middle of the surfers: use the far north or far south end of the beach.
Space
tight
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Kite here only between 1 November and 31 May; from June to October the 2026 rules allow surf-foil and SUP-foil alone, and only 06:00-09:30.
- Go at low to mid tide for walkable shallows; the rips run hardest through the channels at low water and near the Adour mouth, so know where they are before you launch.
- Nobody is watching you from November to May; the lifeguard season is 13 June to 13 September. Have your own rescue plan and a mate on the beach.
- Launch at the far north or far south end of the sand, away from the surf lineup, and give surfers wave priority; the club has 1,200-plus members and they were here first.
- Bring a 4/3 with boots and a hood: the water is around 12 C in the kite season.
Getting there
Airport
Biarritz Pays Basque Airport (BIQ), about 2km south of Anglet
Route
Northern end of Anglet's ~4.5 km beach chain, at the Adour river mouth; Biarritz airport is about 2 km south of Anglet.
No-wind days
Surfing and bodyboarding; Anglet is one of France's main surf towns and home to the country's largest surf club.
Photos
FAQ
Is it suitable for beginners?
No, the spot is rated advanced only, because of powerful waves and strong rip currents near the Adour river mouth.
What is the wind like?
The documented working directions are west and northwest, though wind strength and season were not verified.
What are the main hazards?
Powerful Atlantic waves, strong rip currents and a heavy surf crowd near the Adour mouth.
Last updated: August 2026