Nearby Playa del Arbeyal 3 km · Playa de Poniente 4 km · Playa de San Lorenzo 5 km · Playa de San Juan de Nieva 19 km · Playon de Bayas 27 km · Playa de Rodiles 27 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
Typical strength
No measurement for this beach. The Gijon coast a few kilometres east counts about 125 days a year at 12 kt or more, most of them November to April, and a working northeasterly here runs roughly 15-25 kt. Regional and indicative.
The quiver, in words
Unreported for Xivares. On the regional wind range a 75-85 kg rider brings 12 m for a moderate northeasterly and 9-10 m for the strong autumn and winter days that carry the swell this beach wants. Light-wind sizes are wasted: the low-tide window and the waves decide the session, not the marginal days.Indicative.
Direction to shore
The sand faces roughly north, with southerly the offshore wind here, so the northeasterly that turns Xivares into a kite spot arrives across the beach from the right as you look out to sea: side-onshore.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan34
- Feb36
- Mar40
- Apr33
- May32
- Jun19
- Jul26
- Aug27
- Sep31
- Oct27
- Nov49
- Dec34
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
- 10Jan13°
- 10Feb13°
- 11Mar14°
- 10Apr15°
- 10May17°
- 9Jun19°
- 9Jul22°
- 10Aug22°
- 10Sep20°
- 10Oct18°
- 11Nov16°
- 10Dec14°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34% | 9.9 kt | SSW | 9.3°C | 13.3°C |
| Feb | 36% | 10.3 kt | WSW | 9.7°C | 13.1°C |
| Mar | 40% | 10.5 kt | WSW | 11.2°C | 13.5°C |
| Apr | 33% | 10.1 kt | E | 12.3°C | 15°C |
| May | 32% | 9.7 kt | E | 14.6°C | 16.6°C |
| Jun | 19% | 8.9 kt | ENE | 17.7°C | 19.2°C |
| Jul | 26% | 9.3 kt | ENE | 19.6°C | 21.6°C |
| Aug | 27% | 9.6 kt | ENE | 20.3°C | 22.2°C |
| Sep | 31% | 9.6 kt | W | 18.3°C | 19.9°C |
| Oct | 27% | 9.7 kt | E | 17.2°C | 18.4°C |
| Nov | 49% | 11.3 kt | WSW | 13.6°C | 15.8°C |
| Dec | 34% | 9.7 kt | SSW | 10.8°C | 14.2°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
ocean beach break
Tides
Low tide is the whole game: Xivares is navigable only at low water, and high tide leaves next to nothing to rig on. The width changes a lot across the tide, and at low water Xivares joins Aboño.
Temperature
20°C summer · 12°C winter
Wetsuit
2/2 mm in July-September, 3/2 mm in May-June, 4/3 mm with hood, boots and gloves in November-February.
Currents
Many currents, reportedly.
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: broad at low tide; very limited at high tide
Somewhere else
Playa del Arbeyal, 3 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Rig on the sandy beach only at low tide, when Xivares, Peña María and Aboño join into a wider arenal.
Space
broad at low tide; very limited 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
- Rig at low tide. At high water there is barely a beach left to lay lines on.
- Skip summer unless someone local confirms navigation is allowed that day.
- Check the swell as well as the wind: the peaks need enough sea to break.
- Read the current from the sand before you go in, and pick your exit point first.
- Take the FEVE train to the Xivares halt, about 800 m from the beach, if you would rather not drive out from Gijón.
- Take the FEVE train to the Xivares halt, about 800 m from the beach, if you would rather not drive out from Gijon.
- Lifeguards are on the sand only from 15 June to 8 September, exactly the stretch when navigation is off. Autumn and winter sessions have no cover at all.
- Southerly is the offshore wind on this beach; the northeasterly you want crosses the sand from the right as you look out.
Getting there
Airport
Asturias Airport (OVD); the nearest large city for travel is Gijón.
Route
About 5 minutes by car from Gijón. The ALSA Gijón-Luanco bus stops about 2 km away, and the FEVE train has a Xivares halt about 800 m from the beach.
Staying
Hotels and restaurants sit in Gijón and Candás rather than at the beach. On the sand there is parking, toilets, showers, a recreation area and hostelry.
No-wind days
Surf, bodyboard, paddle surf, fishing, coastal walks toward Aboño/Campa de Torres, Gijón, Candás and Avilés.
Photos
FAQ
Is Xivares suitable for beginners?
No. Xivares is rated advanced/expert-only for kitesurfing, unlike some surf guides that describe it as suitable for all levels.
What is the wind like?
The beach has good orientation for northeast wind, the verified working direction for kiting here.
Does tide matter at Xivares?
Yes. The spot can only be navigated at low tide; at high tide there is hardly any space left to rig.
Are there seasonal restrictions?
Navigation is prohibited in summer, and autumn and winter are documented as the better wave seasons instead.
Last updated: August 2026