Windsurfing in Tarifa

A Los Lances launch just outside Tarifa town where the wind blows cleaner, offering choppy speed runs in levante and wavy side-onshore sailing in poniente.

Agua is named after a small cluster of bars on this stretch of Los Lances beach, just outside the Tarifa town limits where the wind is less obstructed. In levante it still has a speed-strip feel but with more chop than at Campo de Futbol. In poniente conditions are much like Campo de Futbol: side-onshore, wavy sailing. The beach here is slightly narrower than at the spots further into town.

Tarifa's Poniente spot in front of Hotel Arte Vida: a sandy beach with a few rocks and one of the shortest walks from car to water.

Arte Vida is the spot in front of Hotel Arte Vida on Tarifa's long beach, and it really is a Poniente spot. In winter it is a go-to when the Poniente is better a bit further down the beach. There is a lot of parking. Get one of the front spots and it is only about 50 m from your car to the water, one of the shortest walks in Tarifa. On a windy Poniente day it is packed, though. It is a lovely sandy beach, but the dark patches in the water are rocks. They are usually not a big problem, just keep them in mind. In Levante the wind is offshore here and way too gusty, so hardly anyone goes out. Only when the Levante comes from further south does it turn side-shore, and then it can be really nice. If you bring your own gear, this is the spot. If you rent, Dos Mares is a few hundred metres towards town, where the windsurf centre was when we filmed in 2021. From June you can leave the wetsuit at home and sail in shorts and a t-shirt. In winter you need one.

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Tarifa's first Atlantic spot, right in town: extremely flat water close in for Levante freestyle, rocks to watch, and no sailing in high season.

Balneario is the first spot on the Atlantic side, right in Tarifa town, just across the causeway to the island from Playa Chica. In Levante the wind blows over the rocks but stays relatively steady and not too gusty, and right in front of the beach you get extremely flat water, perfect for freestyle. The beach bends towards the west and catches a lot of swell. That can get really gnarly, but with a good Levante it also gives you small ramps that are super fun to sail. Watch out for the rocks off this beach. In Poniente the wind is straight onshore here, so go to another spot. In the main season, which starts around June or July, you are not allowed to sail here because the beach is full of swimmers, so come in the off season. Finding parking takes some luck: there is only a narrow street with parking along the side, or another car park around the corner.

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The slalom training ground by the Bibo beach bar: lots of chop, the strongest wind in summer and, in the off season, grass to rig on.

Bibo is the spot by the Bibo beach bar, close to the end of the Tarifa bay, and one of our go-to spots in Tarifa. If you want to train slalom like the PWA racers, this is where you go: lots of chop and gnarly, hard conditions, the best training you can get for PWA slalom. In summer a thermal effect makes the wind come in strongest here, and it gets quite busy. There can be a lot of kitesurfers on the beach and on the water, so when it is busy you may have to slalom around them. There is a big car park. In the off season, if you come early enough, you can even park right next to the grass fields and rig on grass, pretty much the best parking and rigging setup in Tarifa. From June to August boardshorts or a shorty will do, the water and the air are that warm. Las Dunas, with very similar conditions, is just up the coast.

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The next bay from Tarifa: gusty side-offshore Levante wave sessions in winter, a light wind escape in summer, and mostly uncrowded.

Bolonia is in the next bay along from Tarifa and is one of the nicer beaches in the area. It has two faces. In winter it is a super nice wave spot: the Levante is almost as strong as in Tarifa and quite gusty, but with the side-offshore wind you can get really epic wave sessions. When there is no wind, you can go surfing. In summer it turns into a light wind paradise. The wind is a little less than in Tarifa, about 3 to 5 knots less than at Bibo, and sometimes it is consistent all day. That makes it a good escape when it is howling in Tarifa or the Poniente is too strong, or when you want real light wind training. Most of the time it is not too crowded. Only when the conditions are really firing do you see a lot of people here.

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Tarifa's flat water speed strip in Levante, at the edge of town with the football stadium right behind the beach.

Campo de Fútbol is the last spot inside the town of Tarifa, at the entrance to town, with the football stadium right behind the beach. This is where the flat water speed strip along Los Lances beach starts. It is never really too busy, and rigging is half on grass, half on sand. If you are looking for flat water in Tarifa, this is your spot in Levante. This is where riders go 40 plus knots along the beach, fully blasting, and it is pretty much as good as flat water gets here. In Poniente you get the typical onshore, wavy conditions you find all along this coast. Towards the town is a swimming area where you are not allowed to windsurf, so go further along the beach, past the fishing buoys. There can also be fishing boats with nets off this beach, and you cannot sail where the nets are.

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Sand only, no rocks and a little shelter from the wind: Tarifa's pick for beginners and intermediates who want easy, relaxed sailing.

Dos Mares is the spot at Hotel Dos Mares, a little closer to town than Arte Vida. The beach is only sand, with no rocks, and a small mountain further down shields the wind a bit, so it never gets that strong here. That makes it Tarifa's pick for beginners and intermediates who want easy, relaxed sailing. When we filmed in 2021, the hotel had its own windsurf centre. It was really well equipped, with sails from 3.5 to 7.5 for strong Levante down to light Poniente and more beginner friendly boards, so Dos Mares was the place to rent. Parking is quite far from the water, so with your own gear Arte Vida is the better choice. In Levante the wind is side-offshore here, so you head out sideways rather than straight out. On a gusty day stay upwind: you only get planing in a proper gust, and if you drift downwind it is a walk back along the beach.

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Tarifa's escape when the Levante is too strong: side-onshore, very constant and about 10 to 15 knots lighter, over a rocky entry.

When the Levante in Tarifa gets too strong, this is one of the places to go. KM 90 sits at the Guadalmesí river mouth, east of Tarifa on the Strait of Gibraltar, and is perfectly placed for the Levante: you get it side-onshore from the left, about 10 to 15 knots lighter than in Tarifa, very constant and without gusts. That makes it really good for testing gear, for foiling and for slalom, and if you are looking for lighter wind it is a paradise with beautiful scenery. It is definitely not the easiest spot. You walk over massive rocks, which is not pleasant barefoot, and sometimes there is a proper shore break at the entry. Parking and rigging are fine: it is usually not busy and you rig on grass. Getting there is the hard part. The way in is on small, bumpy old military roads, which are not ideal with a big van.

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A quiet, steady-wind escape in the Strait of Gibraltar for when Tarifa's levante is simply too much.

KM90 is a lighter-wind alternative to Tarifa in strong levante, with wind typically 10 to 15 knots lighter, side-onshore and very constant with no gusts, which makes it excellent for foiling and testing equipment. Rigging is on grass and the spot is usually not busy. The beach has large rocks that are painful to walk over, and the water entry can have a short break. Access is via old military roads that can be tricky with large vehicles.

Tarifa's best chance to get in and out when the shore break is big elsewhere: sheltered by the dune, with a more side-shore Levante.

Las Dunas is just up the coast from Bibo, with incredible scenery, and one of our favourite go-to spots in Tarifa. There is a lot of parking. It can get really busy in summer, but in winter you always find a space. One downside is the smelly river mouth, which you may have to cross before you get on the water. The upside is the shelter. The sand dune covers this corner from the Atlantic swell, so it has the least shore break in Tarifa. When the other beaches are almost unsailable because of the shore break, you still have a good chance to get in and out here. Most of the time it is also a little less rough than most of the other spots. In Levante the wind bends around the mountain, so it comes in more side-shore and a little smoother than at the other Tarifa spots, where it is more offshore. In Poniente the wind speeds up around the corner, so when the Poniente is weak in town you get it a little stronger here.

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Los Lances is Tarifa's main windsurfing beach: a long, sandy stretch that catches both the Levante and Poniente winds with relentless consistency. When the Levante blows hard from the east, you get choppy side-shore conditions perfect for freeride and wave work. Several rental centres and schools sit right on the beach, though this place is firmly aimed at riders who already know what they're doing.

Tarifa's in-town wave spot on the Mediterranean side: in a strong winter Levante the waves break right on the rocks. Experts only.

Playa Chica is the small beach right in Tarifa town on the Mediterranean side, next to the causeway out to the island. It can look calm, but it can be an extremely difficult wave spot. It works when the Levante is strong, and you only get the good ramps for jumping when the Levante pushes across the whole Mediterranean, which is usually only the case in winter. When it works, the waves break right on the rocks. You don't have to go far out, and you sail close to the rocks. This is a spot for experts. If that is too much, a few metres away on the Atlantic side of the causeway the same Levante gives you flat water (see Balneario).

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Tarifa's headline launch, where windsurfers, kiters and wingfoilers share one of Europe's windiest coastlines.

Valdevaqueros is one of the main windsurf, kitesurf and wingfoil launches near Tarifa, an area credited with over 300 wind days per year. The wind is demanding and often considered unsuitable for beginners. Crowds peak from July to September, while May offers pre-season conditions with fewer riders on the water.