Map › Spain › Costa Brava - Golf de Roses › L'Estartit

Cataluña · Costa Brava - Baix Empordà · Lower Empordà

L'Estartit

also known as Estartit Kitebeach, Els Griells, Bay of Pals, La Pletera, Estartit Zona Kite

beginner-friendlymedium 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 Platja de Pals 5 km · Sant Pere Pescador 17 km · Empuriabrava (Platja de la Rubina) 24 km · straight-line distance

SeasonApr to Augthe months riders and schools name How windy7-8mixed Launchlargeaccess rules on record, below Watersea23°C in summer · 7 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools4named at this spot From the airportno transfer time publishedGirona-Costa Brava Airport (GRO)

When it fills in

Mornings are usually too light and belong to paddle craft; the breeze fills through late morning, which is the windsurf window, and from midday onwards it is strong enough for kites and wings. That is the thermal cycle. A synoptic Gregal or Tramuntana can blow at any hour and does not wait for the afternoon.

L'Estartit is a wide sandy beach on the Costa Brava looking straight out at the Medes Islands, and the part that matters for kites is La Pletera, past Els Griells at the quiet end.

La Pletera is the sector with an enabled kite area, parking, lifeguards and a school on the sand; the central Playa Grande is a family beach with swimming zones. The water is shallow off Playa Grande and Els Griells and medium depth at La Pletera. The wind is the catch.

Lesson descriptions here use an east wind of 7-8 knots, and the 70-90% rideable-day figure from April to August counts anything from force 3 up, which is roughly 7-10 knots, so most of those days are big-kite, foil and wing days rather than a twin-tip week.

When the Tramuntana comes down from the NNW it is side-off, and going out in it without a plan for getting back is how riders end up downwind of the port.

Water is 23 C in summer and 13 C in winter: 5 mm in winter, 4 mm around May and October, a shorty or lycra in July, August and September. Come in June for warm water and a school, and bring something that flies in nothing.

The wind

locals call it Tramuntana / Gregal / sea breeze

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: Mornings are usually too light and belong to paddle craft; the breeze fills through late morning, which is the windsurf window, and from midday onwards it is strong enough for kites and wings. That is the thermal cycle. A synoptic Gregal or Tramuntana can blow at any hour and does not wait for the afternoon.

Typical strength

7-8

70-90% of days from April to August are rideable at force 3 or more. Force 3 is roughly 7-10 knots, which matches the 7-8 knot average east wind used in the lesson descriptions, so most rideable days here sit at the light end of kiteable wind and call for big kites rather than strong-wind gear.

The school operating window on record is April to August. Year-round use is also claimed, but winter reliability is unconfirmed.

Thermal or synoptic

both

The quiver, in words

No local kit list is published. Most rideable days from April to August sit at force 3, roughly 7-10 kt, which puts a 75-85 kg rider on a foil, a wing or a 15-17 m.A solid Gregal or Garbí at 15-20 kt is a 10-12 m day, and a hard Tramuntana afternoon 8-9 m (indicative, worked from the wind figures rather than from a school's stock).

Direction to shore

E winds are onshore to side-onshore for the east-facing beach; Eolis describes Tramuntana from NNW as side-off.

Dominant direction

Four named winds work here. The marinada sea breeze from the SE is the steady thermal and the learning wind, side-on from the right. Gregal from the NE is the most valued direction and side-on from the left.Garbí from the S-SW is stronger and gustier, side-off. Tramuntana from the N-NW is side-off and more an autumn wind than a summer one.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan45
Feb56
Mar74
Apr, riders' month79
May, riders' month69
Jun, riders' month68
Jul, riders' month83
Aug, riders' month75
Sep61
Oct56
Nov57
Dec38

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug.

12Jan14°
13Feb14°
13Mar14°
15Apr15°
13May18°
13Jun21°
14Jul24°
14Aug26°
13Sep24°
12Oct21°
13Nov18°
11Dec16°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	45%	11.5 kt	NNW	8.6°C	14.1°C
Feb	56%	13.4 kt	N	10.5°C	13.5°C
Mar	74%	13.4 kt	S	12.6°C	14.1°C
Apr	79%	15.1 kt	NNW	14.6°C	14.9°C
May	69%	13.2 kt	NNW	18.4°C	17.5°C
Jun	68%	12.8 kt	S	23.2°C	21.4°C
Jul	83%	13.8 kt	N	26.3°C	24.3°C
Aug	75%	13.7 kt	SSE	26.3°C	25.9°C
Sep	61%	12.5 kt	N	21.7°C	23.6°C
Oct	56%	11.8 kt	S	19.4°C	20.7°C
Nov	57%	12.6 kt	NNW	14.4°C	17.7°C
Dec	38%	10.9 kt	NNW	10.1°C	15.7°C

modelled

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

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

sea

Standing depth

The main Playa Grande and Ter Vell/Els Griells sectors are described as shallow; La Pletera is described as medium depth.

Tides

Tides barely register. Sea level here is logged in centimetres against a mean level, and a typical day runs from about 11 cm in the early morning to about 24 cm mid-afternoon, a swing of some 13 cm. The waterline and the launch do not move with it.Plan the session around the breeze, not the tide.

Temperature

23°C summer · 13°C winter

Wetsuit

5 mm in winter, 4 mm around May and October, a shorty or lycra in July, August and September.

14–26°C water

Wide sandy Mediterranean beach facing the Medes Islands. La Pletera, backed by dunes and wetland, is the sector with the enabled kitesurf area.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Lessons run from a private beach area. Riding independently, plan for light-wind days, keep clear of the protected zones and treat the side-off Tramuntana as the day to sit out.

The scene

What riders come here for

lessonsfreeridewingfoilwindsurflight-wind cruising

Family beach with school-run water sports. La Pletera is the wilder, less frequented end.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: large

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Platja de Pals, 5 km

Platja de Pals Sant Pere Pescador Empuriabrava (Platja de la Rubina)

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

Rescue

Lifeguards cover Playa Grande, Ter Vell/Els Griells and La Pletera. No kite-specific rescue boat is on record.

Launch

Sandy launch at the La Pletera and Els Griells end of Playa Grande. La Pletera has the enabled kitesurf area and a school, with windsurf and kitesurf gear on site.

Space

large

Rules & access

2026: La Pletera has a zone enabled for kitesurf practice, with beach services including a kitesurf school and windsurf/kitesurf equipment; users should stay within the signed kite area and avoid protected dune/wetland zones.

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

Rider tips

Launch from the signed kite area at La Pletera, not from the central beach where the swimmers are.
Ask the school on the beach where the high-season boundary runs before you ride on your own; no map is published.
Pack a foil, a wing or your biggest kite. A 7-8 knot forecast is a normal day here.
Do not go out in side-off Tramuntana from the NNW without someone on the beach and a way back.
Rig on the sand and stay off the dunes and the Ter Vell wetland behind the beach.

Getting there

Airport

Girona-Costa Brava Airport (GRO); Barcelona-El Prat (BCN) is the larger alternative.

Route

Girona is the nearest airport. Bus and train run via Girona or Flaca, then a taxi or bus into L'Estartit.

Staying

L'Estartit is a resort town with apartments, hotels and campings around the beach and Els Griells.

No-wind days

Medes Islands boat trips, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle surf, Montgri walks, cycling, beach time and the Ter Vell/La Pletera nature areas.

Photos

Panoràmica de les Illes Medes, l'Estartit (Costa Brava) - panoramio — klimmanet, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at L'Estartit?

April to August is the best verified operating window, when the local school reports 70-90% rideable days with force 3 or more wind.

Is L'Estartit suitable for beginners?

Lessons are offered with a private beach area at La Pletera, though independent beginners should account for light-wind days and the side-off Tramuntana from NNW.

What is the wind like?

Conditions mix thermal sea breeze and Tramuntana; lesson descriptions cite east wind around 7-8 knots, which is light for independent twin-tip riding.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

La Pletera has a zone enabled for kitesurf practice; riders should stay within the signed kite area and avoid the surrounding protected dune and wetland zones.

Last updated: August 2026