Map › France › Bassin d'Arcachon › Navarrosse
Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Grands Lacs / Biscarrosse, Landes · Landes · Biscarrosse
Navarrosse
also known as Port de Navarrosse, Plage du port de Navarrosse, Lac de Cazaux-Sanguinet
Nearby Mayotte under 1 km · Biscarrosse Plage Sud 7 km · Port de l'Estey 7 km · La Salie (La Teste-de-Buch) 13 km · La Hume (Gujan-Mestras) 24 km · Les Arbousiers (Arcachon) 25 km · Mimizan-Plage 27 km · Le Betey 34 km · Claouey 34 km · Le Porge Ocean 51 km · Lac de Lacanau - Lacanau-Ville 61 km · Lacanau Ocean 64 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
14:00 · 18:00
Outside summer there is no daily rhythm to plan around, because the useful wind arrives with Atlantic fronts and can already be up at dawn. On top of that sits a steady afternoon build, strongest from about 14:00 to 18:00, driven by the sea breeze coming in over the dunes; in the warm months that build is the whole story, and those are the months the spot is closed. Indicative pattern from long-run hourly data rather than a local station.
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
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Outside summer there is no daily rhythm to plan around, because the useful wind arrives with Atlantic fronts and can already be up at dawn. On top of that sits a steady afternoon build, strongest from about 14:00 to 18:00, driven by the sea breeze coming in over the dunes; in the warm months that build is the whole story, and those are the months the spot is closed. Indicative pattern from long-run hourly data rather than a local station.
Typical strength
Rideable days sit between about 12 and 20 kn, and the strong fronts push past that; the pines around the shore skim a couple of knots off whatever the ocean beaches are getting. Roughly one daytime hour in twelve across the year reaches 12 kn, so this is a forecast spot, not a turn-up spot. Indicative: no wind station stands on the water at Navarrosse.
Also on record
20.6 kts is the only average on record, for Oct-Mar; how it was calculated is unconfirmed.
The quiver, in words
For a 75-85 kg rider on a twin-tip, a 12 m covers the ordinary September-to-May day. Drop to 9-10 m when a front takes it over 20 kn, and go 14-15 m or foil on the soft afternoons that make up much of April and May.Indicative sizing worked back from the wind range, not from a count of what gets rigged on the beach.
Direction to shore
N is side-on at the port beach. W and NW work too, but the angle depends on exactly where you launch.
Dominant direction
N, NW or W. N and NW are the better two: more fetch across the lake.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month11
- Feb, riders' month19
- Mar, riders' month15
- Apr, riders' month13
- May, riders' month11
- Jun0
- Jul2
- Aug5
- Sep, riders' month7
- Oct, riders' month11
- Nov, riders' month22
- Dec, riders' month16
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 11%Jan12°
- 19%Feb12°
- 15%Mar13°
- 13%Apr14°
- 11%May17°
- 0%Jun20°
- 2%Jul21°
- 5%Aug23°
- 7%Sep22°
- 11%Oct20°
- 22%Nov16°
- 16%Dec13°
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 | 11% | 24% | 19% | 8.6 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 7.4°C | 12.4°C | 62 |
| Feb | 19% | 26% | 25% | 8.8 kt | N | 15:00 | 8.7°C | 12.4°C | 57 |
| Mar | 15% | 34% | 27% | 10.2 kt | WSW | 14:00 | 11.1°C | 12.9°C | 62 |
| Apr | 13% | 27% | 25% | 9.9 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 12.8°C | 14.4°C | 60 |
| May | 11% | 29% | 21% | 9.5 kt | W | 15:00 | 16.4°C | 16.6°C | 62 |
| Jun | 0% | 8% | 3% | 8.7 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 19.9°C | 19.8°C | 60 |
| Jul | 2% | 8% | 2% | 8.6 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 21.4°C | 21.2°C | 62 |
| Aug | 5% | 16% | 15% | 8.8 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 22°C | 22.5°C | 62 |
| Sep | 7% | 17% | 12% | 8.7 kt | NW | 15:00 | 19°C | 21.8°C | 60 |
| Oct | 11% | 27% | 21% | 8.9 kt | W | 15:00 | 17.3°C | 19.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 22% | 32% | 25% | 9.4 kt | W | 14:00 | 12.4°C | 16°C | 60 |
| Dec | 16% | 27% | 23% | 8.4 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 9°C | 13.3°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
lake
Standing depth
Shallow off the port beach and you can stand a long way out. On a foil that works against you: expect to walk several minutes before there is enough water under the mast. Beginners should still work away from the launch rather than sit in front of it.
Tides
No tide.
Temperature
18-21°C summer · 11-12°C winter
Wetsuit
Summer: shorty or light full suit depending on the wind. Outside summer a full suit, and a 5/3 for the off-season.
Currents
No tide and no ocean current. The port channel downwind is the exception: reportedly a stronger flow there, plus boat traffic.
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: Fairly large preparation area, smaller than Mayotte. The beach is wide enough to handle equipment, but trees border the launch.
Somewhere else
Mayotte, under 1 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Park at the east side of Port de Navarrosse and launch from the port beach; ride between the Navarrosse channel and the hunting blind/tonne de chasse.
Space
Fairly large preparation area, smaller than Mayotte. The beach is wide enough to handle equipment, but trees border the launch.
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 date before you drive out: the port beach is a September to May spot, and from 1 June to 31 August the nearby summer alternative is Mayotte.
- Rig well clear of the trees and walk the kite to the water; in gusty or underpowered lake wind the trees behind the launch are the first thing you hit.
- Give the tonne de chasse to the northeast a wide berth and treat anything sticking out of the water near it as rebar.
- Do not let yourself drift downwind into the port channel, and stay out of the conche to the north marked with yellow buoys.
- Park on the east side of Port de Navarrosse; the launch is the port beach right in front of you.
- Get out beyond the 300 m band rather than working the shoreline; the alios blocks are on the lake bed and the shore is where the trees are.
- Do not let yourself drift downwind into the port channel, and stay out of the zone north of the spot marked with yellow buoys.
- Monday to Thursday from 15:00 the jet skis launch from this port and nowhere else on the lakes; keep the channel clear in those hours.
- The municipal text bans kiting inside port zones and names Mayotte as the kite access, so read the sign at Navarrosse before you commit.
Getting there
Airport
Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD)
Route
From Bordeaux, drive down via the Bassin d'Arcachon to Biscarrosse and on to Port de Navarrosse; park on the east side of the port. Bordeaux-Mérignac airport is 1 h 05 from Biscarrosse. Year-round buses reach Biscarrosse from Ychoux, from La Teste-de-Buch and from Gujan-Mestras.
Transfer
65-75 min by car from Bordeaux-Mérignac to Biscarrosse/Navarrosse area, depending on traffic and final lakeside parking.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Campsites, holiday rentals and hotels in Biscarrosse or Biscarrosse-Lac, and more of the same family lake accommodation over in Sanguinet.
No-wind days
Sailing, paddle, kayak, cycling in the Landes forest, lake swimming in season, Biscarrosse Plage surf, Dune du Pilat and Arcachon Basin day trips.
FAQ
Is Navarrosse suitable for beginners?
Yes; sources classify it as beginner-friendly to intermediate, with shallow, flat freshwater and no waves, though trees, rocks and the port channel still require basic self-control.
What is the wind like?
The best documented directions are W, NW and N, and the wind blows less strongly than at ocean beaches because surrounding forest blocks part of it.
When is the best time to visit?
The public practice season is September through May, since June through August is closed or not authorized for the summer bathing period.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
Navigation is reported not authorized from 1 June to 31 August under a local arrêté, so riders should check the posted sign before riding outside that season.
What are the main hazards?
A hunting blind with possible stakes northeast of the spot, alios rock blocks on the lake bed, and the port channel with boat traffic downwind.
Last updated: August 2026