Riding essentials
Season
Nov–May
Months riders and schools name
How windy
10-30 kt
Character: synoptic
Room to launch
medium
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
23 °C in summerFlat water in ESE-SE
Hazards
5
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb
Schools
none named here
From the airport
20 min
International Airport (MVD)
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
Malvín has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Pocitosno page yet
- Pocitos Trouvilleno page yet
- Buceono page yet
- Playa Hondano page yet
- Carrascono page yet
- Laguna Garzon
The spot
Wind patterns
Access and season
The wind
Direction
Direction to shore
Onshore to cross-onshore for south-sector winds on a south-facing beach; the spot orientation is S.
Dominant direction
SE, S and SW
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
Indicative, no local measurement, sized from the 10-30 kt working range for a 75-85 kg rider: 12 m on the 12-18 kt southeasterly, 9 m from 20 to 25 kt, 7 m once the southerly gets past 28 kt.Under 12 kt it is foil or nothing.The range across a single week here is wide enough that one kite will leave you on the beach half the time.
Character
synoptic
Thermal or synoptic
synoptic (Río de la Plata sea breeze/frontal winds)
Typical strength
10-30 kt depending on wind direction
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month72
- Feb, riders' month76
- Mar, riders' month62
- Apr, riders' month48
- May, riders' month44
- Jun44
- Jul58
- Aug60
- Sep62
- Oct70
- Nov, riders' month78
- Dec, riders' month63
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Nov, Dec.
- 13 ktJan25°
- 13 ktFeb25°
- 12 ktMar24°
- 12 ktApr20°
- 11 ktMay16°
- 11 ktJun14°
- 12 ktJul11°
- 13 ktAug12°
- 13 ktSep14°
- 13 ktOct18°
- 13 ktNov22°
- 13 ktDec24°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
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.
Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | Wind from | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72% | 13.2 kt | E | 23.7 °C | 25 °C |
| Feb | 76% | 13 kt | E | 23 °C | 25 °C |
| Mar | 62% | 12.1 kt | NE | 21.6 °C | 24.3 °C |
| Apr | 48% | 11.5 kt | E | 17.5 °C | 19.9 °C |
| May | 44% | 11.2 kt | SE | 13.7 °C | 15.9 °C |
| Jun | 44% | 10.7 kt | WNW | 11.6 °C | 13.6 °C |
| Jul | 58% | 11.8 kt | NE | 10.9 °C | 11.3 °C |
| Aug | 60% | 12.7 kt | ENE | 11.9 °C | 12 °C |
| Sep | 62% | 12.5 kt | ESE | 13.5 °C | 14.2 °C |
| Oct | 70% | 13.1 kt | E | 16.2 °C | 18.2 °C |
| Nov | 78% | 13.3 kt | E | 19.7 °C | 21.5 °C |
| Dec | 63% | 12.8 kt | NE | 21.1 °C | 23.6 °C |
How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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
mixed
Standing depth
Shallower and friendlier than the ocean beaches, though no standing-depth zone is on record for Malvin.
Tides
Tide is close to irrelevant here. The Rio de la Plata at Montevideo runs a daily range of only about 0.4-0.5 m, with spring highs reaching roughly 0.95 m, so the beach profile barely changes through a session.Water level answers to the wind more than to the moon: a persistent southeasterly piles water up against this coast and lifts the level well above the tide tables, while offshore northerlies push it down.
Temperature
23 °C summer · 12 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 11–25 °C
Wetsuit
Generally no wetsuit or light neoprene in warm summer sessions; full suit in spring/autumn; winter water around 10–14 °C needs a warm wetsuit.
Currents
No kite-specific current data was found for Playa Malvin; it is a Rio de la Plata urban beach rather than open Atlantic water.
Conditions
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
No school names this spot
Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.
On your own
Room to launch: medium
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Medium-width fine-sand urban beach in the Malvin neighbourhood of Montevideo, reachable by bus, car or taxi and about 10-15 km from Carrasco airport. Rocks sit at the left-hand end. The eastern end is the better launch in southeast and east wind: Isla de las Gaviotas lies offshore there and knocks the swell down, leaving a smooth surface to ride.
Rules & access
1 min read
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Schools that ride here
Rider tips
- Pick the SE days: cleanest direction here, and the flat water sits in ESE-SE.
- Walk the left side of the beach before you launch or land. The rocks are on that end.
- Skip WSW unless gusty wind is your idea of a good afternoon.
- Take a school if you are learning: the launch is urban, not wide, and shared with swimmers in summer.
- The airport is 10 km out, 15 km by another count, so a session on landing day is realistic.
- In southeast and east wind, set up at the eastern end of the beach; Isla de las Gaviotas sits offshore there and flattens the surface.
- Do not plan around tide tables. The range is under half a metre, and a long southeasterly will raise the water more than the moon does.
- Reckon on a 12 m and a 9 m. The wind runs 10 to 30 kt depending on the direction, and one kite covers maybe half the days.
Getting there
Airport
Montevideo Carrasco International Airport (MVD)
Route
Bus, car or taxi inside Montevideo. The spot is about 10 km from the international airport, or 15 km by another listing's distance.
Transfer
20 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Stay anywhere in Montevideo, with practical access from Malvin, Pocitos, Buceo or central neighborhoods depending on transport.
No-wind days
The rambla, the beaches at Pocitos and Buceo, surf or SUP when it works, Ciudad Vieja, Mercado del Puerto, museums, restaurants.
Photos
FAQ
Is Malvín suitable for beginners?
Yes, with a school: Río de la Plata spots like Malvín are calmer and shallower than Uruguay's ocean beaches, though independent beginners should still get local instruction on this urban beach.
What is the wind like?
SE, S and SW are the predominant directions, with 10-30 kt wind and the spot working 3-4 days a week; SE gives the cleanest conditions and WSW is gustier.
When is the best time?
November to May is listed as the best season, though the spot can be ridden year-round.
What are the hazards?
Rocks sit on the left side of the beach, and WSW wind is reported as the gustiest, less clean direction.
Last updated: August 2026