Andalucía · Cádiz · Bay of Cádiz · Cadiz

Cortadura

also known as Playa de Cortadura, Playa de la Cortadura

advanced onlylow crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Valdelagrana 9 km · Punta del Boquerón 12 km · Sancti Petri 15 km · Sanlúcar de Barrameda 31 km · Conil (Rio Salado / Fontanilla) 31 km · Los Caños de Meca 42 km · El Palmar 42 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan to Octthe months riders and schools name How windyno knot figure publishedmixed Launchlargeaccess rules on record, below Waterocean23°C in summer · 12 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools3named at this spot From the airport40 minJerez Airport (XRY)

When it fills in

Poniente is a thermal and runs to a clock. It is weakest from before dawn to mid-morning, starts building around midday, and is hardest from mid-afternoon to early evening before easing after sunset. Winter Levante and Atlantic fronts are synoptic and ignore all of that. Diurnal shape from long-run reanalysis, not a beach measurement.

Cortadura is the long Atlantic beach on the isthmus between Cadiz city and San Fernando, and it works on Poniente. West wind builds Atlantic swell and moderate chop onto a southwest-facing shore, so the navigable directions are S, SW, W, NW; east, the Levante, is offshore or side-offshore and is the reason to read the forecast twice before driving out.

Winter is when the waves are good. Parking is large, access is easy, the wind is frequent, which is more than most of the bay manages. Kiters are thin on the ground here, and that is half the appeal.

Beginners should learn somewhere else, because the Atlantic exposure and a hard Poniente make the entries and exits a handful. The Escuela Nautica Municipal de Cortadura is based on this beach and teaches surf and kitesurf as well as paddle board.

In summer, stay in the southern kite stretch, keep off the nautical lane and the bathing zone, and respect the fenced military limits along part of the sand.

The wind

locals call it Poniente / Levante

Direction

onshoreW

Character

mixed

fills in: Poniente is a thermal and runs to a clock. It is weakest from before dawn to mid-morning, starts building around midday, and is hardest from mid-afternoon to early evening before easing after sunset. Winter Levante and Atlantic fronts are synoptic and ignore all of that. Diurnal shape from long-run reanalysis, not a beach measurement.

Poniente is thermal and constant in summer; westerlies generate Atlantic swell and moderate chop.

It works year-round. Spring and autumn pair the best wind with the best temperatures, and January through October is the wider good window.

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Direction to shore

The beach faces about 240 degrees, WSW. SW and W arrive onshore, NW comes in cross-onshore from the right, S is side-onshore from the left, and the E Levante blows straight off the land. Orientation measured from coastline geometry.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month21
Feb, riders' month39
Mar, riders' month27
Apr, riders' month25
May, riders' month15
Jun, riders' month17
Jul, riders' month6
Aug, riders' month13
Sep, riders' month13
Oct, riders' month31
Nov17
Dec6

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

21%Jan16°
39%Feb16°
27%Mar16°
25%Apr18°
15%May19°
17%Jun22°
6%Jul23°
13%Aug23°
13%Sep22°
31%Oct21°
17%Nov18°
6%Dec16°

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	From	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	21%	31%	27%	9.2 kt	NNE	15:00	12.6°C	15.6°C	62
Feb	39%	54%	46%	12.1 kt	ESE	16:00	14°C	15.6°C	57
Mar	27%	42%	34%	10.7 kt	W	16:00	15.1°C	16.1°C	62
Apr	25%	45%	30%	11.1 kt	ESE	16:00	17.5°C	17.9°C	60
May	15%	26%	19%	10.1 kt	W	17:00	20.2°C	18.9°C	62
Jun	17%	27%	20%	10.4 kt	W	16:00	23°C	21.5°C	60
Jul	6%	19%	10%	9.2 kt	W	16:00	25.7°C	23.3°C	62
Aug	13%	19%	16%	9.5 kt	WSW	16:00	25.6°C	23.1°C	62
Sep	13%	23%	17%	9.7 kt	W	16:00	22.5°C	21.9°C	60
Oct	31%	48%	40%	11.2 kt	ESE	15:00	21.1°C	20.5°C	62
Nov	17%	32%	25%	9 kt	ESE	15:00	17°C	18°C	60
Dec	6%	16%	11%	7.8 kt	ESE	15:00	13.5°C	16.3°C	62

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024

The water

Type

ocean

Tides

The kiting reportedly does not depend on tide, but the intertidal zone and the rocks show at low water, so low tide is still worth a look before you ride down the beach.

Temperature

23°C summer · 16°C winter

Wetsuit

Shorts or shorty in summer, long wetsuit in winter, intermediate neoprene in spring and autumn.

16–23°C water

Open Atlantic beach on the Cadiz-San Fernando isthmus, small to medium waves, and the wave quality in winter is the best of the year.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Medium to advanced riders get the most out of it: Atlantic exposure and a strong Poniente make the entries and exits demanding. A lower rating turns up elsewhere, which the waves and the wind strength do not support for an independent beginner.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavesfreeridesurfprogression

Quieter than the other Cadiz bay beaches, and few of the people on it are kiters.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: large

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Valdelagrana, 9 km

Valdelagrana Punta del Boquerón Sancti Petri

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

+34 956 251 101

No kitesurf-specific rescue. Beach services and the municipal nautical school operate from this beach in season; the beach code routes an accident to the lifeguards, the local police on 092, or 112. The Escuela Náutica Municipal de Cortadura sits on the sand at Vía Augusta Julia, 11011 Cádiz, on +34 956 251 101, and teaches surf, kitesurf and paddle board year-round.

Launch

Long sandy beach between Cádiz city and San Fernando: about 1,600 m of golden sand roughly 40 m wide, backed by dunes that separate it from the road, with wooden walkway entries at several points and parking running alongside.Blue Flag, with showers, footwashes, toilets and a sports area in season, and direct access by the walkways or the service road.

Space

large

Rules & access

2020: the Cádiz beach users' code of conduct, issued under the municipal beach ordinance, bans practising sport of any kind — football, bat games, surf, windsurf, kitesurf — outside the zones and hours set aside for it, so the designated stretch and its timetable are what govern a session here. The same code bans dogs, free camping, fires and unauthorised vehicles on every municipal beach, and tells users to reach Cortadura only by the built accesses, both to keep off the protected dunes and to avoid the dune-fixing timber and wicker. As of 2025 a nautical lane is marked in summer. As of 2026 the kite area is the southern stretch, away from the busiest bathing zone, and the fenced military limits along part of the sand must be respected.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Use the marked nautical lane in summer and keep your launch clear of the bathing areas.
Do not plan a freeride session on Levante here; east wind is offshore or side-offshore.
Look at the southern rocks on a low tide before you ride downwind along the beach.
Come off the CA-33 at the signposted beach exit on the way out of Cadiz; the parking runs alongside the sand.
Go in and out by the wooden walkways. The dunes are protected and the fixings either side are easy to trip on.
On a Poniente day, aim for the afternoon. Mornings here are usually too light to bother with.
The sand is only about 40 m wide, so pick your rigging spot with the bathing zone and the walkway traffic in mind.

Getting there

Airport

Jerez Airport (XRY)

Route

From Cadiz, take the CA-33 toward San Fernando; the beach access is signposted near the city exit with parking along or beside the beach.

Transfer

40 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Stay in Cadiz city for urban access; no kite-specific lodging at the beach.

No-wind days

Surf, paddle board and Cadiz city visits; municipal and university nautical facilities operate from Cortadura.

Photos

Cadiz beach, Spain - panoramio — Mark Walker, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Cortadura?

January through October is the listed best period, with spring and autumn offering the best wind and temperature combination.

Is Cortadura suitable for beginners?

No, medium-advanced riders are recommended because Atlantic exposure and strong Poniente can make entries and exits demanding.

What is the wind like at Cortadura?

S, SW, W and NW are navigable directions; easterly Levante is offshore or side-offshore and should be avoided.

Are there rules at Cortadura?

As of 2026 the kite area sits in the southern stretch of the beach away from the main bathing zone, with a summer nautical lane and fenced military limits to respect.

Are there kite schools at Cortadura?

Yes, the Escuela Náutica Municipal de Cortadura operates on site.

Last updated: August 2026