Spain, Europe
Verified by Big Air Kite
Tarifa is young, wild and free!
You can kite here almost every day of the year! Featuring a few great local spots, such as Balneario, Valdevaqueros, Los Lances and neighboring village Los Caños de Meca, this is definitely one for your bucket list!
When the Levante (offshore, easterly wind) blows, and it really can BLOW, you'll see a couple mad men testing their mettle and pushing the limits of big air at Balneario. Be warned though - it's straight off-shore at Balneario and there is no boat nearby to rescue you if the shit hits the fan. Every kiter who rides there regularly will tell you about the time they had to decide between their kite and possibly their lives.
The Levante is a cold, dense, off-shore wind. The Poniente on the other hand, is a warm, thin onshore wind. It often brings clouds and sometimes rain, but it's still a great wind to trian in. Typically you'll want a 9 to 13m kite when the poniente is blowing. The ocean gets a bit choppy, but it's a great chance to practice right foot forward boosting.
Valdevaqueros and Los Lances are great options for riders who aren't extremely experienced, or even for beginners. There are tons of kite shops and schools operating in Tarifa and they offer some of the most affordable beginner kitesurfing courses in the world. The flip side of this coin is that the beginner beaches are super crowded - but don't let that dissuade you too much. It's still a great destination for kiting.
Balneario is respectfully reserved for big air senders with years of experience. This is partly due to the size of the tiny bay, and partly due to the risk factors presented by the offshore wind, lack of rescue boat, big gnarly rocks and pumping wind.
Local shredders to look out for are Xavier Kain, Joss de Pfyffer and Julien Leleu.
The town is filled with young, sporty people who are passionate about sending it. When they come off the water, it's straight to the town for tapas, cervezas and maybe a wild party at some of the local bars and clubs. A great bar to keep an eye out for is Surfbar Tomatito.
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