Map › France › Landes - Hossegor/Seignosse › Moliets-Plage
Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Landes · Moliets-et-Maâ
Moliets-Plage
also known as Moliet-Plage, Moliets-et-Maâ, Moliets-et-Maa, Plage de Moliets, Moliet Plage
Nearby Estagnots Beach (Seignosse) 19 km · Hossegor (south beach) 21 km · Capbreton 24 km · Les Cavaliers 38 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Late afternoon in summer; the thermal is an afternoon sea breeze on hot days.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Late afternoon in summer; the thermal is an afternoon sea breeze on hot days.
Typical strength
10-20 knots in summer afternoon thermal/frontal sea-breeze sessions; depressions in September-October can bring 35-40 knots.
Thermal or synoptic
synoptic
Also on record
8 knots annual average from NW, from observations 2026-04-01 to 2026-07-31 only, with no full statistics behind it; unconfirmed.
The quiver, in words
For a 75-85 kg rider: 12 m for the 10-15 knot summer thermal, 9-10 m once it settles at 18-20, 7 m from 25 knots, and 5-6 m when an autumn depression is blowing 35 and over. Onshore wind onto a beach break is an argument for sizing down rather than up.Indicative, derived from the published wind ranges; no local quiver figures were found.
Dominant direction
SW, WSW, W, WNW and NW; the usable range runs south-west through west to north.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan29
- Feb23
- Mar27
- Apr28
- May27
- Jun, riders' month15
- Jul, riders' month11
- Aug, riders' month24
- Sep, riders' month15
- Oct, riders' month27
- Nov38
- Dec29
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.
- 29%Jan13°
- 23%Feb13°
- 27%Mar13°
- 28%Apr15°
- 27%May17°
- 15%Jun21°
- 11%Jul22°
- 24%Aug23°
- 15%Sep22°
- 27%Oct20°
- 38%Nov17°
- 29%Dec14°
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 | 29% | 42% | 34% | 12.1 kt | ESE | 11:00 | 8°C | 12.9°C | 62 |
| Feb | 23% | 35% | 32% | 11.6 kt | N | 14:00 | 9.3°C | 12.6°C | 57 |
| Mar | 27% | 52% | 47% | 13 kt | W | 14:00 | 11.9°C | 13.1°C | 62 |
| Apr | 28% | 52% | 42% | 12.5 kt | NNW | 15:00 | 13.1°C | 14.5°C | 60 |
| May | 27% | 53% | 45% | 11.5 kt | NNW | 15:00 | 16.5°C | 17°C | 62 |
| Jun | 15% | 42% | 37% | 10.9 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 20.1°C | 20.8°C | 60 |
| Jul | 11% | 45% | 26% | 10.9 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 21.6°C | 22°C | 62 |
| Aug | 24% | 45% | 35% | 11.5 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 22.2°C | 23.3°C | 62 |
| Sep | 15% | 30% | 27% | 10.9 kt | N | 15:00 | 19.7°C | 22.1°C | 60 |
| Oct | 27% | 45% | 42% | 12.4 kt | ESE | 14:00 | 18.1°C | 20.1°C | 62 |
| Nov | 38% | 47% | 47% | 13.8 kt | ESE | 10:00 | 13.2°C | 16.5°C | 60 |
| Dec | 29% | 40% | 35% | 12.4 kt | WNW | 08:00 | 9.9°C | 14°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
waves
Standing depth
The beach is flat for kilometres with shallow water close to shore, especially at low tide; depth changes with the sandbars and tide.
Tides
Semidiurnal Atlantic tide with a large range: spring highs reach around 4 m over a near-zero low, so sandbars, shorebreak and the width of dry beach all change through the day. Low water opens the shallow inside; the Courant d'Huchet basin on the left fills on the big tides, and the outlet current runs harder near high water. Tide times are published daily for Moliets-et-Maa.
Temperature
Summer 20-25; peak sea temperature reaches 20-24 C around mid-August, with summer water otherwise given as 20-25 C.
Winter 10-15; the coldest period is around early March at about 12 C, with winter water otherwise given as 10-15 C.
Wetsuit
Summer: shorty or 3/2 when windy; winter: 5/4 or 5/3 with gloves and 3 mm boots, with hood in cold wind.
Currents
Rip currents and baines on an open Atlantic beach. The Courant d'Huchet outlet and the large-tide basin on the left of the spot carry their own current and need caution.
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
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: huge
Somewhere else
Estagnots Beach (Seignosse), 19 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Main access is Moliets-Plage/Plage Centrale at the end of the avenue to the ocean, with public toilets, showers, car parking and bike racks; the front parking is limited in summer and winter parking spills into the closed-shop areas.A second access follows the Courant d'Huchet to a small hard-sand parking area, and from there you can drop onto the basin when it is filled. The beach itself is long and sandy with a huge rigging area, but the launch has to sit outside the bathing zone as marked on the day.
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
- Check the posted beach plan and ask the lifeguards before launching in season; the glide-sport zones move.
- Ride the low tide for the shallow inside water, but walk the Courant d'Huchet basin first: pilings and metal show at low water.
- Skip east or offshore mornings unless you have a boat behind you.
- In July and August come early or come by bike; front parking fills and the quiet beaches are a walk.
- Keep at least 50 m off the bathing flags and out of the surf-school peaks; that corridor is what the 2015 maritime order gives you.
Getting there
Airport
Biarritz-Pays Basque/Parme 60 km; Bordeaux-Mérignac 150-160 km; San Sebastián 85 km. Dax TGV station 35 km.
Route
By car, use A63 exits 12 Castets or 11 Magescq; the route runs north from Biarritz via Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains and Messanges, then west from Moliets-et-Maâ to Moliet Plage. Access/parking are more constrained in summer.
Staying
Seasonal beach-resort setup: campsites, holiday rentals and the Pierre & Vacances golf village around Moliets-Plage; Chênes-Lièges is best reached on foot or by bike from the resort/golf area.
No-wind days
Surf, bodyboard, golf at Golf de Moliets, cycling on local paths/La Vélodyssée, walking or guided boat trips in the Courant d'Huchet nature reserve, tennis, beach activities and nearby Landes towns.
Photos
FAQ
Is Moliets-Plage suitable for beginners?
No; it is rated for intermediate riders with experts also enjoying it, since chop, shorebreak, shifting sandbars and rip currents make independent beginner riding unsuitable.
What is the wind like?
The usable range runs southwest through west to northwest, with 10-20 knot summer thermal breezes and stronger, up to 35-40 knot, depression winds in September-October.
When is the best time to visit?
June through October is listed as the season, with September and October bringing the strongest wind.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
A 2015 maritime order sets a 300 m band where glide sports are banned in the bathing zone but allowed in variable marked zones at least 50 m from supervised bathing limits, with kitesurf otherwise practiced freely beyond 300 m at a 5-knot speed limit.
What are the main hazards?
Rip currents and baïnes, the Courant d'Huchet outlet current, and shifting sandbar waves that can turn powerful in swell or storms.
Last updated: August 2026