Kitesurfing in Tarifa

More than meets the eye

"Selling a kite off the rack is like giving someone a loaded gun and sending them off to the beach ..."

There's more to the kite surfing scene than meets the eye. For those of you who are not too familiar with the surfing scene in Tarifa, (or anywhere else for that matter), I have to tell you that kite surfing is definitely the sport to take up.

Traditionally, one always associated Tarifa with wind surfing. However, this has changed drastically over the last few years. The Costa de la Luz is famous for its wind, but lacks the waves and that is precisely what the real expert windsurfers look for. Luckily, someone came up with the brilliant idea of attaching a kite to the board, and so started a new craze that has quite literally taken over.

It turns out that kite surfing is actually easier than wind surfing, or so Carlos Manrique informed me. Carlos, surfer and resident in Tarifa, works for Cat Fun surf shop where, not only do they sell surfing equipment and clothes, but also make their own surfboards.

Apparently, it can take years to conquer the art of wind surfing, whereas one can pick up the basics of kite surfing in a couple of weeks.

There are over 20 surfing schools in Tarifa, and most of them are owned or run by the surfing shops in town. A couple of years ago, they all got together and started up an association called Kiteclub Ataden. One of the main problems the club comes across is the distinct lack of sponsors. In spite of the Town Hall fully supporting the sport, it simply does not have the money to be able to help out.

Owning a surf shop in Tarifa is a thriving business. Not only do they sell the equipment but they also offer surfing lessons while they're at it. However, when I asked Carlos what would happen if I walked in and wanted to buy a kite for my new board, he told me that he simply wouldn't sell it to me. According to him, kite surfing is actually quite dangerous, and if people don't attend a course first, accidents happen. Putting it bluntly, imagine you're taking a stroll along the beach one evening, and a kite falls on top of you slicing your ear off. Who is responsible? It's essential that surfers are fully insured and educated. Slowly but surely, people are beginning to come to terms with this.

There are two main kite surfing areas in Tarifa; one running from La Jaima to the river Jaro. The other covers an area on the outskirts of town that goes from Los Carriles to the Dos Mares hotel. Each section is divided into three, a swimming area, an open area and an area where the schools are located. You can't practice kite surfing wherever it takes your fancy, and from June 15, 2004 this became official. (Whether people follow the rules or not is another story altogether.)

I was curious about the night scene in town for surfers. Do they have their own little hidden places where they meet up at night for a few drinks and a chat about their surfing day? No way, they head for the centre of town like everyone else in Tarifa, especially for places like El Cateto, La Ruina or La Jaima. Summer is one long party...