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Buenos Aires Province · Mar del Plata · Partido de General Pueyrredón

Mar del Plata

flat waterbeginner-friendlyhigh crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Mar del Plata has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy15-25synoptic LaunchPlaya Grande is wide and Punta Mogotes broad; the central and breakwater-protected beaches are tight and full of people in summer.access rules on record, below WaterAtlantic ocean beach break with chop, small waves and some flatter protected beach sections20°C in summer · 10 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools1named at this spot From the airport20 minInternational Airport (MDQ)

When it fills in

late morning, peaking late afternoon during the Pampero pattern

Mar del Plata rides on the Pampero, a southwesterly that fills in late morning and peaks late afternoon, 15-25 knots on a good December-February day. It is Argentina's biggest Atlantic resort, in southeastern Buenos Aires Province, and that is the catch: in those same months the sand is wall-to-wall bathers. Kiters spread along the curved urban coast.

Varese and Cabo Corrientes sit behind breakwaters and stay calmer, Playa Grande is the surf beach with more room, Punta Mogotes has the widest sand, Waikiki/La Perla gets used too, and rocks and moles line much of the central front. The angle is side-on at best, and because the coast curves it is a different angle at every launch.

Riding is regulated: a 2019 General Pueyrredon ordinance requires helmet, flotation vest and certification and bans kiting outside zones set by EMDER, and it leaves it to EMDER to say where those zones are. Prefectura has had to pull kiters off the water at Playa Grande and Punta Mogotes.

The water is 20 C in summer and 10 C in August, so a wetsuit is the default all year; if you want quiet, drive ~20km south to Chapadmalal.

The wind

locals call it Pampero

Direction

cross-onSW

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

fills in: late morning, peaking late afternoon during the Pampero pattern

Typical strength

15-25

Steady on a proper Pampero day in peak season.

Peak kitesurfing season is December to February, with Pampero southwesterly winds building from late morning and strongest late afternoon.

Also on record

15-25 in the December-February peak season

The quiver, in words

No local size table is published, so this is indicative for a 75-85 kg rider over the 15-25 kt the season is quoted at: 10-12 m at the light end, 9 m through the middle, 7 m once it is over 22 kt. The lighter summer north-easterly reported at some beaches would want a size up again.

Direction to shore

side-on-shore at best; exact angle varies by beach along the curved Mar del Plata coast

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month85
Feb, riders' month80
Mar76
Apr69
May68
Jun67
Jul69
Aug74
Sep72
Oct78
Nov81
Dec, riders' month84

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Dec.

15Jan22°
14Feb22°
14Mar22°
14Apr19°
13May15°
13Jun13°
14Jul11°
14Aug10°
14Sep11°
14Oct14°
15Nov17°
15Dec19°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	85%	14.6 kt	N	20.9°C	21.5°C
Feb	80%	14.1 kt	NNE	20°C	21.9°C
Mar	76%	13.6 kt	N	19.1°C	21.7°C
Apr	69%	13.6 kt	NNW	15.9°C	18.5°C
May	68%	13.4 kt	NW	11.8°C	15°C
Jun	67%	13.1 kt	WSW	9.6°C	12.7°C
Jul	69%	13.7 kt	NNW	8.3°C	10.5°C
Aug	74%	13.9 kt	N	9.4°C	10.1°C
Sep	72%	13.6 kt	NNE	11.1°C	11.3°C
Oct	78%	13.9 kt	NE	13.4°C	14.3°C
Nov	81%	14.6 kt	NE	16.7°C	17.1°C
Dec	84%	14.6 kt	NE	18.5°C	18.9°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 (2020-2024), 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 · 2020-2024

The water

Type

Atlantic ocean beach break with chop, small waves and some flatter protected beach sections

Tides

Ocean tides. Low water and the incoming tide are reported as the better states at Playa Grande. No tide guidance is published for the other beaches, so at Varese, Cabo Corrientes, Punta Mogotes and Chapadmalal you are reading it yourself.

Temperature

20°C summer · 10°C winter

Wetsuit

A wetsuit is normally needed; January-February sea temperatures average about 20-21 C, while August averages about 10 C.

10–22°C water

Varese and Cabo Corrientes are calmer behind their breakwaters; Playa Grande is the surf beach; Punta Mogotes has the widest sand. Everywhere else it is chop and small ocean waves with the odd flat patch.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Beginners, intermediates and advanced riders all use it, but not the same beaches: the central beaches are the busy ones, Playa Grande has the bigger waves, and Chapadmalal is the intermediate-friendly option.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridefreestylewavesdownwinders

Big Atlantic resort city with surf, nightlife and beach clubs; in summer the crowd is what limits your session.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

1 school names this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Playa Grande is wide and Punta Mogotes broad; the central and breakwater-protected beaches are tight and full of people in summer.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Rescue

Prefectura Naval Argentina has pulled kitesurfers off the water at Playa Grande and Punta Mogotes, so it is the service that turns up, but there is no routine on-water cover for kiters and no kite rescue boat. Nothing kite-specific is published for the other beaches.

Launch

Sand launches at Varese, Playa Grande, Chapadmalal, Waikiki/La Perla and Punta Mogotes; which one you use depends on the wind of the day and where the authorized zone is.

Space

Playa Grande is wide and Punta Mogotes broad; the central and breakwater-protected beaches are tight and full of people in summer.

Rules & access

2019: General Pueyrredon Ordenanza No 24089, dated 22 April 2019, governs kitesurfing and kiteboarding. Article 2 requires properly homologated equipment and the use of helmet, flotation vest and kite harness. Article 3 requires prior instruction, evidenced by a certificate from a body recognised by a national, provincial or municipal sports authority. Article 5 puts EMDER, the municipal sports and recreation body, in charge of designating obstacle-free coastal zones away from mass public access and of setting the terms of use in line with the Argentine kite association's rules. Article 6 allows those zones to be open only in certain seasons, on safety, weather, traffic or tourism grounds, and prohibits riding outside them.

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

Rider tips

Drive ~20km south to Chapadmalal for a quieter beach with fewer swimmers.
Find out where EMDER's authorized kite zone is before you rig; the 2019 ordinance makes riding outside it illegal and leaves the zone map to the municipal sports authority.
Stay out of the central swimmer zones in December-February; that is when the beach is fullest.
Treat Playa Grande and Punta Mogotes as open ocean, not learner beaches.
Check the Pampero angle for your specific beach; the coast curves and the same wind is a different angle at each launch.
Bring a helmet and flotation vest; the 2019 ordinance requires homologated ones and a certificate of instruction.
At Playa Grande, aim for low water and the incoming tide.
Watch for jet skis and banana boats off the breakwater beaches in summer. They launch from the same sand you do.

Getting there

Airport

Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ), Mar del Plata

Route

45 minutes by air from Buenos Aires; about 5 hours by long-distance bus from Retiro, about 6 hours by train from Constitucion, about 5 hours by car on Autovia 2. City buses and taxis link the beaches.

Transfer

20 min

Cost level

mid

Staying

Hotels and apartments all over the resort city; nothing kite-specific, so pick by which beach you plan to ride.

No-wind days

Surf beaches such as Playa Grande · Torreon del Monje · Mar del Plata Cathedral · City center and nightlife · Seafood restaurants · Beach clubs and resort services

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Mar del Plata?

December to February is peak season, with the Pampero southwesterly building from late morning and strongest in the late afternoon.

Is Mar del Plata suitable for beginners?

Beaches are listed for beginner, intermediate and advanced riders, though conditions differ by beach: central beaches are calmer while Playa Grande has bigger waves and Chapadmalal suits intermediates.

Are there rules for kitesurfing here?

A 2019 municipal ordinance requires homologated safety equipment including helmet, flotation vest and harness, prior instruction or certification, and riding only within coastal zones authorized by EMDER.

What hazards should I know about?

Peak summer beaches are crowded with swimmers, and rocks and breakwaters are present at some beaches; Prefectura Naval Argentina has performed kitesurfer rescues at Playa Grande and Punta Mogotes.

Are there kite schools at Mar del Plata?

Mar del Plata Kitesurf operates in the city.

Last updated: August 2026