TARIFA – SPAIN

 

KITING

Tarifa is probably the most famous kitesurf destination in Europe. The charismatic town with arab history on the far South point of Andalucia has been a reference for Kitesurfing and windsurfing during decades. The venturi effect caused by the geo location of the narrow stretch between Europe and Africa  makes the place literally a wind machine. If it doesn t blow from the east (so called poniente) it blows from the West (levante).With Levante you can expect more gusty  and sometimes slightly off shore conditions with windspeeds upto 40 knots. Poniente is blowing from the west out of the direction of the atlantic. Expect more steady and mostly lighter wind between 10 – 25 knots.  Beginners do best starting with Poniente, but if you prefer to ride clean waves or jump the ramps of the waves breaking your personal woo record than load up and choose a strong levante day! Best is to bring all your kite sizes.

best wind is from April – October  you can basically kite year-round but will have some non-windy-periods inbetween. July an august are very crowded, even on the beach and the water but there are lots of Spanish youngsters and families in town so if you are in for a spanisch party, this migh be a good time.

Bring a long wetsuit (4/3) in spring, autumn, winter, shorty during summer

WIND, WEATHER AND WATER

 Expect great conditions from march till september with 15 – 25 knot average and high wind peaks in summer. The north / northeasterly atlantic wind can get chilly on and off the water!  The currents bring colder water from the North so bring a wetsuit for water temp around 17 – 20 C.  Air temperatures are comfy in spring and autumn. (although when a cold front comes through it can get pretty cold due to the Wind chill.) It can get pretty hot in the summer. The water temperatures changes a lot from day to day, currents from the atlantic are colder than the ones from the meditarrenean, so mostly expect colder water on poniente days.

KITE SPOT GUIDE

Tarifa has a 10km beach stretch but it can get super busy everywhere. Here is a short spotguide with thanks to Rob from www.progression.me   Town beach is closed for kitesurfing during summer. The rest of the year it is good for on-shore poniente. When blowing levante, the wind is cross off and can be really gusty and punchy so it’s only for advanced riders.

If you want super flat water you can ask for the kite lagoon but it’s small and can only fit a few kiters. You have to know when it works as it needs the Levante to be in just the right direction otherwise it can be very gusty. When it does work expect to be there with all the pro riders who will be throwing down trick after trick. It is also not 100% allowed by the police to kitesurf there.

Los Lances is the longest section of beach, with access from the Rio Jara campsite right down to Los Pinos (ArteVida). There is a car park that runs for a couple of km and a small cafe/bar in middle. This is a great spot in a poniente winds as the beach is really wide and you can try and find your own spot (unless it’s mid summer then it’s super busy everywhere!). Please bear in mind that the wind tends to blow slightly offshore in a Levante wind meaning there’s the risk of being blown out to sea if anything goes wrong. To be safe buy a ‘Sea Angels’ pass from any of the main kite stores which will cover you for the patrolling rescue boat should you need it. Passes start from just €30 and are a fraction of the cost of rescue (€100+ !) if you get caught without one, and a great confidence booster too!

At the end of the Los Lances length of beach is 1/2 km of rocky coastline with the Hurricane Hotel in the middle. After this you get to Valdevaqueros, which is this smaller bay but when people speak of it they really mean the first stretch where you have Tumbao beach bar and the Spin Out center. This is the place to kite when it’s Levante, as the direction means it’s more likely to be cross shore. Its also got a couple of great bars/restaurants so it’s good to hang out with family or friends in between kiting. In the middle of summer you won’t be able to see the sand for half naked sun worshippers – people (non-kiters) flock to Tarifa from Spain and France to party and enjoy the sun – so be prepared to step over people recovering from hangovers as you lay your lines out.

Punta Paloma is the part of the beach that runs on from Valdevaqueros and hooks round into a massive sand dune. A lot of schools teach up here, even in the strong levantes as the sand dune can pick up a student who drifts off downwind. It is also a little less crowded with beach dwellers, in the summer, though equally busy on the water.