Technical details of spot

Spot functioning

Kite allowed ALL YEAR at Los Lances Norte (from Rio Jara to Arte Vida / Punta de la Peña).
Summer (15 June-15 Sept): Beach divided into zones — kite zone, boat channel, training zone, swimming zone. Schools operate in the training zone (Agua area). Levante dominant, hot, strong. Crowded.
Hors saison (15 Sept-15 June): Entire 4+ km beach available. Kite wherever you want. Paradise.
Equinox (March/Sept): Sea floods the beach creating La Charca lagoon — exceptional flat water!
Winter storms can bring 3-4m waves — epic wave riding with Poniente.

On the water

LEVANTE: Side-offshore — flat with clean regular swell kickers. Perfect for big air and freestyle. Turquoise water. Deep from shore.
PONIENTE: Onshore — waves, chop, shore break. Atlantic swell. 1-3m waves common. Good for wave riding. Colder.
Sandy bottom, wide clean beach (up to 200m wide). No rocks on the main stretch.
Water temp: 18-22°C summer, 15-17°C winter. 4/3 most of year.

Required level

Intermediate

Spot opening date

Open all year round

Parking

Multiple access points and parking along the N-340 (Tarifa-Cádiz road). Rio Jara campsite at south end. Airstrip area. Dos Mares hotel. Arte Vida hotel at north end with large parking. Beach bars: Agua (school zone), Waves Bar (near airstrip). All have parking. From Tarifa town: 2-8 min drive depending on section.

Hazards

⚠️ Levante = side-offshore at Los Lances — gusty and punchy. Risk of being blown out. RESCUE CARD MANDATORY. Wind in town's shadow on southern part = holes and gusts.
⚠️ Summer zones (15 June-15 Sept): kite zone between Dos Mares and Waves Beach Bar. Boat channel. Training zone at Agua Beach Bar. Swimming zone at Arte Vida. Respect the zones.
⚠️ Shore break with Poniente — waves crash on beach, entering/exiting water difficult. Get wave-break technique right.
⚠️ Currents — Med meets Atlantic. Understand drift. Especially tricky where Rio Jara meets the sea.
⚠️ Seaweed on southern part, especially Levante days.
⚠️ Lagoon (La Charca) behind beach at Rio Jara — kiters use it but it's technically PROHIBITED (nature park). Now you know!

Wind specificities

LEVANTE (E) — Side-offshore at Los Lances. 15-40+ kts. Gusty close to shore (wind shadow of town on south part). Steadier further out and towards the north. Gets progressively less offshore and more side-shore as you go north towards Arte Vida / Valdevaqueros. Kites 5-12m.
PONIENTE (W) — Side-onshore. 10-25 kts. Constant, steady. Waves. Kites 9-14m. Best for beginners/learning.
THERMAL boost — summer Poniente days can get thermal boost in afternoon, especially further north towards the dune.
⚠️ If it doesn't blow at Los Lances, check Valdevaqueros — dune thermal often works there even when Los Lances is dead.

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