Matanzas
O'Higgins Region · Matanzas · Provincia de Cardenal Caro · Navidad
also known as Playa Matanzas, Caleta Matanzas, Matanzas / La Vega de Pupuya, Pupuya
Riding essentials
Season
Aug–Mar
Months riders and schools name
How windy
15-25 kt
Character: mixed
Room to launch
ok
access rules on record, below
Water
waves
17–18 °C in summerExposed Pacific wave venue with left-hand reef and beachbreak zones through the wider Matanzas to La Vega de Pupuya area
Hazards
9
Reported by riders
Level
Intermediate to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy Nov Dec Jan Feb
Schools
6
named at this spot
From the airport
150 min
Santiago (SCL)
On the clock
10:00 · 11:00
Late morning to afternoon. Around 10:00-11:00 is the usual figure, though in practice riding starts later, once the land has heated.
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.
Matanzas has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it, and none other in Matanzas. straight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Navidadno page yet
- La Vega de Pupuyano page yet
- Las Brisasno page yet
- Roca Cuadradano page yet
- La Boca / Río Rapelno page yet
- Puertecillono page yet
The spot
Location and launch
Water and conditions
For beginners
Getting there and staying
The wind
locals call it Surazo / Matanzas sea breeze
Direction
Direction to shore
cross-on
Dominant direction
S, SSW, SW; NW is also described at Playa Matanzas.
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
For a 75-85 kg rider, 9 m is the year-round staple here.Lighter riders sit on 5-7 m.Through the strong stretch from August to January, when it runs 20-30 kt, expect to be on 7 m and smaller by mid-afternoon; only the lightest days of the 15-25 kt off-season call for more than 9 m.Bring wave-oriented small kites rather than a big-kite quiver.
Character
Average strength
15-25
Typical strength
15-25 kt is the common figure. La Vega de Pupuya runs 20-30 kt in the strongest months and 15-25 kt the rest of the year; a separate count gives 30-40 km/h across eight windy months.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month63
- Feb, riders' month58
- Mar, riders' month69
- Apr58
- May27
- Jun32
- Jul29
- Aug, riders' month45
- Sep, riders' month67
- Oct, riders' month65
- Nov, riders' month78
- Dec, riders' month68
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 63%Jan16°
- 58%Feb17°
- 69%Mar16°
- 58%Apr15°
- 27%May14°
- 32%Jun13°
- 29%Jul13°
- 45%Aug13°
- 67%Sep13°
- 65%Oct13°
- 78%Nov14°
- 68%Dec15°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
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.
Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | Wind from | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63% | 79% | 69% | 14.9 kt | SW | 17:00 | 16.7 °C | 16.1 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 58% | 68% | 68% | 14.3 kt | SW | 17:00 | 16.1 °C | 16.7 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 69% | 76% | 73% | 14.5 kt | SW | 16:00 | 15 °C | 16.1 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 58% | 78% | 67% | 13.7 kt | SW | 16:00 | 12.8 °C | 15 °C | 60 |
| May | 27% | 50% | 44% | 10.7 kt | SSW | 16:00 | 11.1 °C | 13.9 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 32% | 55% | 42% | 12.2 kt | SSW | 15:00 | 10 °C | 13.3 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 29% | 56% | 47% | 11.5 kt | SSW | 16:00 | 9.4 °C | 12.8 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 45% | 74% | 63% | 13.2 kt | SSW | 16:00 | 10 °C | 12.8 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 67% | 75% | 70% | 14 kt | SW | 16:00 | 11.1 °C | 12.8 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 65% | 73% | 66% | 14 kt | SW | 16:00 | 12.2 °C | 13.3 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 78% | 82% | 82% | 16.3 kt | SW | 16:00 | 13.9 °C | 13.9 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 68% | 76% | 71% | 15.3 kt | SW | 16:00 | 15.6 °C | 15 °C | 62 |
How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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
waves
Standing depth
No standing-depth information is published for Matanzas.This is an exposed reef break with a sand-bottomed beach either side of it, rocks and rips are named hazards, and the water gets deep quickly off the launch, so plan the session as one where you cannot touch down and stand up.Riders wanting shallow water to learn in are pointed to La Boca rather than anywhere in the Matanzas/Pupuya corridor.
Tides
Small Pacific tidal swing, roughly 0.26 m to 1.0 m across the range. The break is not tide-gated and works through the tidal cycle rather than at one stage, so swell size and wind timing decide the session far more than tide height.Rocks are a stated hazard, so walk the shoreline at low water once before you launch there in the dark or in swell.
Temperature
17–18 °C summer · 12–14 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 13–17 °C
Wetsuit
4/3mm with boots is the baseline; 5/3mm or warmer is preferable for long, windy winter/cold-water sessions.
Currents
Rips run at the Matanzas surf break, and current can make the wind feel weaker than it is once you are out on the water.
Conditions
Your level
not for beginners here
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
6 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: ok
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Rescue — full text1 min read
Launch
Sandy Pacific beach launches in the Matanzas/Pupuya corridor. La Vega de Pupuya, just south of Matanzas town, is the primary recommended launch and riding area, with beachfront lodging and direct beach access. Caleta Matanzas itself is a medium-size, more service-equipped but sometimes gustier launch.Las Brisas is not established as a primary kite launch.
Rules & access
1 min read
- 1998/2024: Orden Ministerial N°2, in force since January 1998 and national in scope, bans motor vehicles from entering or driving on beaches, coastal dunes, shorelines, rivers and lakes. It is actively enforced with fines by the Armada's maritime police along the central coast, so park on the road and carry gear down.Kite permits and bans2026: no kitesurf-specific permit, launch zone, swimmer-separation line, hours restriction or seasonal kite ban has been published for Matanzas or La Vega de Pupuya by the municipality or the maritime authority, and none was found on the local tourism or school channels.Temporary closures2026: temporary beach closures for Portuguese man-of-war have been applied to Matanzas, La Boca and Las Brisas, so check the day's health and municipal notices before entering the water.In practiceIn practice the water is shared with surfers and windsurfers on the same peak: the beach is a named surf break, and giving way to riders already on a wave is the local expectation rather than a written rule.
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Schools that ride here
Rider tips
- Ask a local school which end of the corridor is working today, because the name Matanzas gets used for La Vega de Pupuya, for Las Brisas, for Matanzas beach and for La Boca.
- Go out in the morning for lighter, easier wind before the afternoon thermal is fully lit; downwinders along the coast are on if you have a pick-up.
- Pack smaller kites and a proper cold-water wetsuit even under sun, because the wind is cold and the afternoon breeze can be strong.
- Surf early if there is swell, then kite when the thermal southerly fills in late morning or afternoon.
- Take a local instructor for a first ocean session and use La Boca's flatter water rather than the exposed wave beaches.
- Check the day's beach health notices before you get in: Portuguese man-of-war closures hit Matanzas, La Boca and Las Brisas in 2026. Navidad up the road has the seafood restaurants and the artisan market.
Getting there
Airport
Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, Santiago (SCL)
Route
165 km from Santiago on Route 78 with the Route G-60 detour, about 2 h 30 min by car. Without a car, bus to Navidad and connect by shared taxi or local bus; Santiago-Matanzas services are listed around 2 h 30 min to 3 h, and the Navidad-Matanzas hop at around 12 min.
Transfer
150 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Matanzas/Pupuya has beach lodges, hotels, cabins, hostels, campsites and Airbnb-style rentals; named ones include 25 Nudos Lodge in La Vega de Pupuya, Surazo Hotel in Matanzas, OMZ/Olas de Matanzas, Hotel Mar Blanco and local cabins.
No-wind days
Surfing, SUP, kayaking, mountain biking, horse riding, wineries/gastronomy, bird/sea-lion watching near Pupuya/Matanzas islets, trekking around the Navidad coast, and the Bosques de Calabacillo marine sanctuary area near Las Brisas.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite Matanzas?
Spring and summer, roughly August to April, are the core months, though sources give varying exact windows and the coast is windy for much of the year.
Is Matanzas suitable for beginners?
Local schools teach all levels, but the exposed cold-water wave venue with shorebreak and rips is better suited to intermediates and above; beginners may do better at nearby La Boca's flat water.
What is the wind like at Matanzas?
A southerly Surazo sea breeze blows cross-on at around 15-25 knots, typically filling in from late morning into the afternoon.
Are there kite schools at Matanzas?
Yes; Waiwen Kite School, Tiburon Escuela de Kitesurf IKO, Blue Point Activity Center and Prokite all operate in the area.
What hazards should I know about at Matanzas?
Rips and rocks are reported at the Matanzas surf break, the water is cold year-round requiring a thick wetsuit, and Portuguese man-of-war closures affected nearby beaches in 2026.
The bigger pictureEverything about Matanzas
Last updated: August 2026