Map › Spain › Arenales del Sol & Playa de San Juan › Playa de San Juan

Comunidad Valenciana · Alicante / Playa de San Juan · l'Alacantí · Alicante

Playa de San Juan

also known as Platja de Sant Joan, San Juan beach Alicante

choppybeginner-friendlyhigh 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 Arenales del Sol 16 km · Santa Pola (La Gola) 24 km · Playa Els Tossals 34 km · straight-line distance

SeasonApr to Septhe months riders and schools name How windyunder Typical strength, belowmixed Launchhugeaccess rules on record, below Waterchop27°C in summer · 4 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section

Schoolsnone named here

From the airportno transfer time publishedAlicante-Elche Airport (ALC)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Playa de San Juan is 6.2km of built-up sand on Alicante's northeastern edge, 2.9km of it inside the city limits, backed by a promenade that stays busy all year.

The wind that works is Levante and Gregal, synoptic easterlies and northeasterlies off the Mediterranean that leave the sea choppy with small waves rather than flat; Xaloc and Garbi also come up as workable, at 15-20 knots. There is an unresolved legal question here.

The 2021 provincial list of authorised kitesurf zones in Alicante province covers Denia (Les Deveses), Elche (Arenales del Sol) and Guardamar del Segura (Els Tossals), and San Juan is not on it, while kiting outside an authorised zone in the province can carry a 1500 EUR fine under the 2018 PATIVEL coastal plan. Nothing published after 2021 clears that up.

Summer is simpler: June through August the sand is packed and kiting here is discouraged, on crowds rather than any confirmed ban. April to September is the stated season, which is exactly when the beach is worst, so the honest window sits at the edges of it. No kite school works this stretch by name.

The wind

locals call it Levante / Gregal (E/NE synoptic winds); Xaloc/Siroco (SE) and Garbi (SW) also cited as workable

Direction

cross-onE/NE

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

Typical strength

15-20 on the Xaloc/Siroco and Garbi directions; no figure found for Levante or Gregal themselves.

Levante and Gregal are synoptic Mediterranean events, not a daily thermal cycle. April-September is separately given as the main season, with consistent thermal winds, which may mean an afternoon sea breeze sitting on top of the synoptic pattern rather than the same mechanism. The two accounts are not reconciled anywhere, so treat the season as unconfirmed.

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider: 12 m at the 15 kt end, 9-10 m at 18-20. Derived from the 15-20 kt range given for the southwesterly and southeasterly directions rather than measured here, and no published strength covers the easterly Levante and Gregal days that are what actually make this beach work.

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

E/NE (Levante, Gregal)

Forecast

Month by month

Jan54
Feb56
Mar71
Apr, riders' month58
May, riders' month51
Jun, riders' month46
Jul, riders' month45
Aug, riders' month52
Sep, riders' month49
Oct44
Nov49
Dec34

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

13Jan15°
13Feb15°
15Mar15°
12Apr18°
12May20°
12Jun24°
12Jul28°
12Aug29°
12Sep27°
12Oct23°
12Nov18°
10Dec17°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	54%	12.5 kt	WSW	12.5°C	14.9°C
Feb	56%	12.6 kt	ENE	13.2°C	14.5°C
Mar	71%	14.8 kt	ENE	15.3°C	15.2°C
Apr	58%	12.4 kt	ENE	16.7°C	17.5°C
May	51%	12.3 kt	ENE	20°C	20.3°C
Jun	46%	11.6 kt	ESE	24.3°C	24.3°C
Jul	45%	11.8 kt	E	27.4°C	27.9°C
Aug	52%	11.8 kt	E	27.9°C	28.9°C
Sep	49%	11.9 kt	ENE	24.4°C	26.6°C
Oct	44%	11.6 kt	NE	21.7°C	22.9°C
Nov	49%	11.8 kt	W	17.8°C	18°C
Dec	34%	10 kt	WNW	13.9°C	16.5°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

chop

Tides

Mediterranean, so the tidal range is negligible and tide does not enter the plan. Regional pattern, not a measurement taken at this beach.

Temperature

27°C summer · 14.3°C winter

Wetsuit

Reportedly a shorty or full suit in spring and autumn, boardshorts or shorts in summer, and a full winter suit in winter.

15–29°C water

Long urban sand with a paved seafront promenade behind it. The sea runs choppy with small waves and is reportedly tide-independent, though that rating is unconfirmed for this beach. Blue Flag, moderate wave conditions, lifeguards through the high season.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

The published ratings disagree. One puts the beach at beginner through expert; another steers beginners to nearby Playa Lisa (Santa Pola) and leaves San Juan's chop and small waves to intermediate and advanced riders. Unreconciled, and the water character argues for intermediate upward.

The scene

What riders come here for

off-season freeride

Busy urban tourist beach with a promenade that runs all year. Kiting in peak season is discouraged locally on the crowds, not on any confirmed formal ban.

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: huge

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Arenales del Sol, 16 km

Arenales del Sol Santa Pola (La Gola)Playa Els Tossals

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

Rescue

Lifeguard cover runs in the high season only and there is nothing on the beach outside it. Dates, hours and post positions are not published, and no kite-specific rescue or recovery service exists here. The general emergency number is 112.

Launch

About 6.2km of sand along the Alicante-El Campello coastline, 2.9km of it within Alicante itself, and roughly 85-90m deep from the promenade to the water. The paved promenade runs the length of it. Reachable on foot, by car, tram or bus from central Alicante.

Space

huge

Rules & access

The 2021 provincial tourism list of beaches with an authorised kitesurf zone in Alicante province covers Denia (Les Deveses), Elche (Arenales del Sol) and Guardamar del Segura (Els Tossals). Playa de San Juan is not on it, and kitesurfing outside authorised locations elsewhere in the province can carry a 1500 EUR sanction under the 2018 PATIVEL coastal plan.

San Juan kiting is separately called not recommended in summer because of tourist crowding, with no specific hour restriction confirmed. Nothing found updates this picture past 2021.

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

Rider tips

Come outside June, July and August. Once the bathers arrive the beach is wall to wall and kiting here is discouraged.
Settle the authorisation question before you rig: the 2021 provincial list puts the legal zones at Denia, Elche and Guardamar, not here.
For the same wind inside an authorised zone, drive to Guardamar del Segura (Els Tossals) or Arenales del Sol.
Send anyone still learning to Playa Lisa at Santa Pola instead; the chop and small waves here suit intermediates upward.
Rubber by season: boardshorts in summer, a shorty or full suit in spring and autumn, a full winter suit in winter.
Take the tram or a bus out from central Alicante, about 7km northeast of the centre, rather than hunting for a parking space.

Getting there

Airport

Alicante-Elche Airport (ALC)

Route

On foot, by car, tram or bus from central Alicante. The beach is part of the city's own coastline, about 7km northeast of the centre, running toward El Campello.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Playa de San Juan?

Off-season is recommended, since summer brings heavy beach tourism that makes kitesurfing not advisable.

Is it suitable for beginners?

The beach itself is listed for all levels, but heavy summer crowding means it is not a reliable beginner venue in that period.

What is the wind like?

The area is exposed to the Levante and Gregal winds, blowing from the east and northeast, typical of the wider Alicante coast.

Are there any restrictions?

Kitesurfing is not recommended in summer because of the large number of tourists on the beach.

Last updated: August 2026