Nearby Bakio 10 km · Gorliz-Plentzia 21 km · Sopelana 25 km · Ereaga 27 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
Two patterns, depending on the season. From June to August the wind is a daytime build: little before late morning, filling from around midday, best between 2pm and 6pm, gone again by mid-evening. From October to March it is frontal and can be up at any hour, so there is no time of day to wait for. Indicative, from modelled hourly data rather than a local station.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Two patterns, depending on the season. From June to August the wind is a daytime build: little before late morning, filling from around midday, best between 2pm and 6pm, gone again by mid-evening. From October to March it is frontal and can be up at any hour, so there is no time of day to wait for. Indicative, from modelled hourly data rather than a local station.
Typical strength
Summer thermal north wind around 12 knots on many afternoons, never exceeding 20 knots; winter southerlies 10-40 knots and northerlies 10-25 knots.
Thermal or synoptic
synoptic and local estuary acceleration
The quiver, in words
No local quiver figures are published, so this is indicative, read off the wind range rather than measured. A 75-85 kg rider wants 12 m or more for the summer afternoons around 12 knots, 9-10 m for the 18-25 knot autumn and winter southerlies, and 7 m once a southerly pushes past 30.
Direction to shore
The beach faces northwest. South, southeast and southwest come in side-on to side-shore and the working band runs roughly SSE through ENE. N and NW blow onshore and chop the water up, worst near the estuary mouth.
Dominant direction
N and S reported; prevailing NW and W also reported
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month19
- Feb, riders' month21
- Mar, riders' month21
- Apr, riders' month3
- May, riders' month0
- Jun, riders' month0
- Jul, riders' month0
- Aug, riders' month6
- Sep, riders' month2
- Oct, riders' month13
- Nov, riders' month23
- Dec, riders' month23
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, Nov, Dec.
- 19%Jan14°
- 21%Feb13°
- 21%Mar14°
- 3%Apr15°
- 0%May17°
- 0%Jun20°
- 0%Jul22°
- 6%Aug23°
- 2%Sep22°
- 13%Oct20°
- 23%Nov17°
- 23%Dec15°
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 | 19% | 44% | 32% | 11 kt | S | 10:00 | 9.4°C | 13.6°C | 62 |
| Feb | 21% | 39% | 35% | 10.3 kt | S | 11:00 | 10.3°C | 13.2°C | 57 |
| Mar | 21% | 37% | 32% | 10.1 kt | SSW | 13:00 | 12.4°C | 13.5°C | 62 |
| Apr | 3% | 23% | 17% | 8.7 kt | N | 14:00 | 12.9°C | 14.7°C | 60 |
| May | 0% | 16% | 10% | 8.7 kt | NNW | 15:00 | 15.7°C | 16.7°C | 62 |
| Jun | 0% | 3% | 2% | 8 kt | NW | 15:00 | 19.3°C | 20.3°C | 60 |
| Jul | 0% | 5% | 2% | 7.7 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 21°C | 22.3°C | 62 |
| Aug | 6% | 13% | 10% | 8.2 kt | NW | 16:00 | 21.4°C | 23.4°C | 62 |
| Sep | 2% | 13% | 12% | 8.4 kt | S | 14:00 | 19.3°C | 22°C | 60 |
| Oct | 13% | 34% | 31% | 10.4 kt | S | 12:00 | 18.4°C | 19.7°C | 62 |
| Nov | 23% | 40% | 30% | 10.3 kt | S | 11:00 | 13.9°C | 16.9°C | 60 |
| Dec | 23% | 37% | 34% | 10.4 kt | S | 10:00 | 11.2°C | 14.8°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
river mouth / estuary / ocean
Standing depth
At low water you can stand on the sandbanks over much of the riding area, roughly a kilometre of shoreline and up to 800 m out, flat sand underfoot and no rocks. The flood covers it quickly, and the channel at the estuary mouth is deeper and carries current. Standing depth at high tide is unconfirmed.
Tides
Strongly tidal: a small beach at high tide, large sandbanks at low tide, flat low-tide sections and tidal current at the estuary mouth.
Temperature
Summer 20.9 average summer; August average 22.3
Winter 13.2 average winter
Wetsuit
Shorts or shorty in peak summer; 5 mm/full winter suit required in winter.
Currents
Current is flagged for this beach, especially at the estuary mouth and on the tide change.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
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
On your own
Room to launch: Large at low tide, about a kilometre of shoreline and up to 800 m out; small and technical against the dunes at high tide.
Somewhere else
Bakio, 10 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Sand and exposed sandbanks. At low water the launch is wide and the rideable area runs about a kilometre along the shore and up to 800 m out over flat sand. At high water it shrinks to a technical strip near the dunes and the rough grass.Parking sits behind the beach, with direct access from the Ibarrangelu road.
Space
Large at low tide, about a kilometre of shoreline and up to 800 m out; small and technical against the dunes at high tide.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Read the tide table before you rig; the launch space and the water state both change fast.
- Stay off the estuary mouth when the current is running or the protected limits are unclear.
- Wear boots and be careful landing the kite, because the shells here cut canopies.
- Use the middle of the beach rather than the dune edge whenever there is space.
- Confirm the current Urdaibai reserve restrictions locally before any session.
Getting there
Airport
Bilbao (BIO)
Route
By car from Bilbao airport it is about 46 km and 50 minutes: head for Gernika, then the road toward Lekeitio and the signs for Playa de Laida. Parking is behind the beach.
Transfer
50 min
Staying
Camping is one of the listed beach services at Laida; hostel and agroturismo beds sit around Ibarrangelu, Laga and Laida.
No-wind days
Surf, paddle surf, kayak, canoe, sailing, Mundaka, Gernika, the Urdaibai reserve and the local summer fiestas.
Photos
FAQ
Are there rules or restricted zones?
Kiting has been prohibited in the river mouth up to Laida since 2016 to protect bird nesting in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, so current rules should be verified locally.
Is it suitable for beginners?
No; tidal current, shifting sandbanks and a shrinking high-tide launch area make it an intermediate-to-advanced spot rather than one for independent beginners.
What is the water like?
The beach changes dramatically with the tide, from large sandbanks at low tide to a small high-tide launch, with flat water, chop, waves and estuary-mouth current.
What is the wind like?
Reports vary between a summer north thermal around 12 knots and stronger September-to-March southerlies of 10-40 knots, with prevailing northwest and west also reported.
What are the hazards?
Shells, changing sandbanks, boat traffic and rough grass near the dunes at high tide are all reported.
Last updated: August 2026