Map › France › Camargue - Port-Saint-Louis › Plage du Cavaou

Provence-Côte d'Azur · Bouches-du-Rhône · Fos-sur-Mer

Plage du Cavaou

also known as Cavaou, Toro-Plage, Fos-sur-Mer Cavaou, Plage Cavaou

advanced onlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Nearby Carteau 6 km · Pointe de la Gracieuse 11 km · Le Jaï 20 km · Beauduc 27 km · straight-line distance

SeasonApr to Octthe months riders and schools name How windy10-15 knotsmixed LaunchWide sand over more than a kilometre. The free car park behind it holds about 500 places and fills fast on summer weekends.access rules on record, below Watersea21.8°C in summer · 11 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport45 minAeroport Marseille Provence

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Cavaou (the old Toro-Plage) is the big sand beach at Fos-sur-Mer, with the petrochemical port behind you and ships at anchor in front. SE is the wind you come for: side-shore, powerful, freeride with real waves and a shorebreak that gets heavy at either end of the beach, which is why the launch is in the middle.

W gives a lighter side-on session on the summer thermal, 10-15 knots. Mistral is the trap: from NW it turns side-off to offshore and irregular, and this is not a beach to drift away from with the port traffic outside. Not a beginner spot; the same SE that makes it good builds the waves.

Parking is close to the sand, reportedly around 500 spaces. The kite spot is reportedly open from about 15 September to 15 June and closed for the family-bathing season in between; the municipal order behind that has not been found, so check it before you rig in summer.

The wind

locals call it Mistral

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

Typical strength

10-15 knots in summer thermal conditions; stronger and more powerful in SE events.

SE is the wind the beach is known for: powerful freeride with waves. NW Mistral is irregular and side-off to offshore, and that is the risky one.

Spring and autumn are the seasons, because the summer bathing rules push kites off the beach: the spot is reportedly open from roughly 15 September to 15 June and closed in between.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal and synoptic

Also on record

24.3

The quiver, in words

Indicative only, no local kite-size guidance published: at 75-85 kg the 10-15 kt summer thermal wants 11-12 m, an ordinary SE day sits on 8-9 m, and strong SE or Mistral drops you to 6-7 m.

Direction to shore

SE is side-shore and the favoured direction. The beach works across a wide arc, roughly N round to SW. Within the Mistral arc, N to NNE comes side-on to onshore and is rideable; NW to W swings side-off to offshore, goes irregular and is the risky one. SW arrives cross-onshore.

Dominant direction

SE and W; NW Mistral also occurs

Forecast

Month by month

Jan53
Feb46
Mar58
Apr, riders' month58
May, riders' month40
Jun, riders' month47
Jul, riders' month42
Aug, riders' month34
Sep, riders' month43
Oct, riders' month44
Nov40
Dec45

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

53%Jan13°
46%Feb13°
58%Mar13°
58%Apr15°
40%May17°
47%Jun22°
42%Jul23°
34%Aug23°
43%Sep22°
44%Oct20°
40%Nov16°
45%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	53%	68%	61%	14.7 kt	NNW	14:00	7.3°C	12.7°C	62
Feb	46%	60%	54%	14.5 kt	NNW	15:00	9.8°C	12.7°C	57
Mar	58%	84%	69%	17.4 kt	NNW	15:00	12°C	13.4°C	62
Apr	58%	78%	70%	17.3 kt	NNW	15:00	14.4°C	14.7°C	60
May	40%	66%	58%	14.1 kt	NNW	15:00	18.7°C	17.4°C	62
Jun	47%	82%	75%	15 kt	SSE	15:00	23.3°C	21.7°C	60
Jul	42%	68%	65%	13.7 kt	NNW	15:00	26.2°C	23°C	62
Aug	34%	58%	47%	13.2 kt	S	15:00	25.6°C	23.4°C	62
Sep	43%	63%	60%	14.7 kt	SSW	15:00	20.9°C	22°C	60
Oct	44%	63%	58%	15.2 kt	SE	15:00	18.8°C	20.1°C	62
Nov	40%	65%	53%	14 kt	NNW	15:00	12.6°C	16.4°C	60
Dec	45%	58%	53%	14.1 kt	NNW	12:00	8.8°C	13.2°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

sea

Standing depth

Shallow, with a standable walk-in off the middle of the beach. How far out you can stand has not been measured.

Tides

Mediterranean tide, so it makes no practical difference to the session; the beach is usable at any stage of the tide.

Temperature

Summer 21.8 average; about 16-27 range reported for Fos-sur-Mer summer

Winter 13.4 average; about 12-17 range reported for Fos-sur-Mer winter

Wetsuit

Shorty or light full suit in summer depending on wind; full wetsuit in winter.

13–23°C water

Large sandy Mediterranean beach. Conditions range from flat to chop or small to marked waves depending on SE wind and swell. Shorebreak can be stronger at the beach ends.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Wide beach, but an intermediate-and-up spot: SE brings waves and NW Mistral is side-off to offshore and irregular. Lessons happen in the wider Fos and La Gracieuse area; whether beginners ride Cavaou itself on their own is unconfirmed.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridewavesbig beach launchwindsurfsurf when wind creates waves

Plenty of room, shared with the windsurfers, the surfers and, in summer, the bathers. A good SE day pulls in a lot of riders.

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

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Wide sand over more than a kilometre. The free car park behind it holds about 500 places and fills fast on summer weekends.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Carteau, 6 km

Carteau Pointe de la Gracieuse Le Jaï

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

A lifeguard post with a first-aid station runs through the bathing season. A kite school is based on the beach itself and takes its lesson groups by boat to La Gracieuse, ten minutes out and reachable only by sea; that boat is not a public rescue. No kite-specific cover for independent riders was found.

Launch

Direct sandy launch from the broad central part of Plage du Cavaou, a beach over a kilometre long, with the car park immediately behind the sand.

Space

Wide sand over more than a kilometre. The free car park behind it holds about 500 places and fills fast on summer weekends.

Rules & access

2026: the kite spot is reportedly open from 15 September to 15 June and closed in between, when the beach is run for family bathing with a lifeguard post and a first-aid station. The seasonal supervision, the showers, the snack bar and the Blue Flag water-quality award are confirmed; no municipal order confirming the kite dates was found, and the Fos-sur-Mer municipal site blocks non-browser access, so check the current beach order before you rig in summer.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Launch from the middle of the beach; the shorebreak is heaviest at the two ends.
In NW Mistral stay on the sand unless you have local support and a clear plan for getting back: it is side-off to offshore and irregular.
Before rigging between 15 June and 15 September, check the current Fos-sur-Mer beach order; the spot is reportedly closed to kites for the summer.
SE is the classic Cavaou day; expect the biggest waves and the most riders on the water.
Keep an eye on the ships: the port traffic sits just offshore.
Parking is free and right behind the sand, around 500 places, but it goes early on a summer weekend.

Getting there

Airport

Aeroport Marseille Provence

Route

Drive to Fos-sur-Mer, follow the RN568/Fos Ville and signs for the beaches/Cavaou; parking is close to the sand.

Transfer

45 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Stay in Fos-sur-Mer, in Martigues or over in the Marseille area; the beach is a day beach, with a snack bar plus showers and toilets in season.

No-wind days

Fos-sur-Mer beaches · Martigues · Marseille · Camargue and Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone area · Surf or windsurf when conditions suit

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Cavaou?

Southeast wind gives the classic powerful session, while local listings report the spot closed to kiting during the family bathing season, roughly 15 June to 15 September.

Is Cavaou suitable for beginners?

It is better suited to intermediate and advanced riders, since southeast wind can bring waves and the northwest Mistral runs offshore and irregular.

What is the wind like at Cavaou?

Southeast wind is the preferred side-shore direction for powerful freeride and waves, west gives lighter side-on thermal conditions, and northwest Mistral is offshore and risky.

Are there rules or restricted zones at Cavaou?

The spot is reported open for kiting from about 15 September to 15 June and closed during the summer family-beach season; check the current municipal beach order before riding.

What hazards should riders know at Cavaou?

Shorebreak forms at the beach ends, the northwest Mistral is offshore and irregular, and there is industrial port traffic and large ships nearby.

Last updated: August 2026