Map › Spain › Retamar

Andalucía mediterránea · Almería city / Cabo de Gata approach

Retamar

also known as Playa de Retamar, El Toyo

beginner-friendlymedium 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 Playa de Costacabana 6 km · El Zapillo 12 km · Playa de Cabo de Gata 16 km · Los Genoveses 19 km · Las Salinas 26 km · Punta Entinas-Sabinar 39 km · straight-line distance

SeasonFeb to Junthe months riders and schools name How windy15-28 ktsynoptic Launchbigaccess rules on record, below Watersea25°C in summer · 7 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools4named at this spot From the airport10 minAlmeria Airport (LEI)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Retamar is the beach east of Almeria city, out past El Toyo, and it is where you go when Costa Cabana is too onshore. Fine pebbles, a very big launch, chop with small to medium waves, and no tide to plan around.

Poniente from the southwest and west is the working wind, and from February to June it blows often with the beach practically empty, which is the real argument for coming. Spring is the best of it, autumn next; summer has less wind and more people.

Strong-wind days throw up a shore break, and that is what catches out riders who are still learning. The rule picture is vaguer than at El Zapillo or Las Salinas: the normal high-season beach restrictions apply, but no Retamar-specific municipal kite rule is documented, so ask on the beach before you rig in July or August.

The wind

locals call it Poniente

Direction

cross-onSW

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

synoptic

Typical strength

The Poniente days that make the drive worth it run about 15-28 kt. Below that the beach is a pleasant place to stand and not much else.

Windy days happen very often from February to June, when the beach is practically empty.

Spring is the best season and autumn is behind it; summer has less wind and a crowded beach. S, SSW, SW, WSW and W all work, and the best of them are W, then SW, then S.

The quiver, in words

No local table exists. For 75-85 kg, 15-28 kt puts you on 10-12 m at the bottom of the range and 7-9 m at the top, with the shore break rather than the wind deciding whether the big kite is a good idea. Indicative rather than measured here.

Direction to shore

The coast at Retamar and El Toyo runs roughly WSW to ENE and the beach faces south-southeast. West arrives side-shore along the sand, southwest side-onshore, south straight onshore. Levante from the east is the other side-shore, and it is the day to keep driving toward Los Genoveses.Read off the line of the coast rather than from a local measurement.

Dominant direction

SW, W

Forecast

Month by month

Jan57
Feb, riders' month71
Mar, riders' month74
Apr, riders' month69
May, riders' month65
Jun, riders' month73
Jul60
Aug71
Sep82
Oct66
Nov49
Dec43

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun.

14Jan16°
16Feb16°
17Mar16°
15Apr18°
14May20°
15Jun22°
13Jul26°
14Aug28°
15Sep26°
15Oct21°
13Nov18°
12Dec17°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	57%	13.5 kt	NE	13.3°C	16°C
Feb	71%	15.5 kt	NE	14.1°C	15.6°C
Mar	74%	17.4 kt	WSW	15.6°C	15.7°C
Apr	69%	15.3 kt	WSW	17.3°C	17.6°C
May	65%	14.4 kt	WSW	20.1°C	19.5°C
Jun	73%	15.3 kt	WSW	24.1°C	22°C
Jul	60%	13.1 kt	E	27.4°C	26°C
Aug	71%	13.8 kt	ENE	28.1°C	27.9°C
Sep	82%	15 kt	WSW	24.5°C	25.5°C
Oct	66%	14.7 kt	WSW	21.7°C	20.8°C
Nov	49%	12.6 kt	WSW	17.4°C	18.1°C
Dec	43%	11.5 kt	NE	14.2°C	16.7°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

sea

Tides

Tide does not drive the conditions here.

Temperature

25°C summer · 15°C winter

Wetsuit

Winter long wetsuit, summer shorty or shorts, rest of year shorty.

16–28°C water

Mediterranean beach of fine pebbles with sandy sections between. Chop, small to medium waves, and a shore break when the wind is strong.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Rated for any level, but shore-break and medium-wave days are no place for a newer rider.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat waterwaveflat-water-oriented Poniente sessionssmall waveslocal sessions

Local family beach. February to June it can be empty; in summer it is not.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: big

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Playa de Costacabana, 6 km

Playa de Costacabana El Zapillo Playa de Cabo de Gata

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

Rescue

Almeria city runs the beach rescue service and Retamar and El Toyo are among the thirteen bathing areas it covers. In 2026 daily cover began on Monday 15 June and runs to mid-September, with weekend cover either side of that and 34 lifeguards and medics across the capital's beaches; published hours are midday to 19:00. A coordination centre links the posts.

Out of season and outside those hours there is nobody on the sand, and February to June, the windiest stretch of the year, falls almost entirely outside the service. Nothing kite-specific exists; 112 reaches the emergency services.

Launch

Very big fine-pebble beach at Retamar/El Toyo. Drive east from Almeria toward Retamar and take El Paseo del Toyo, which leads straight to the water.

Space

big

Rules & access

2026: no Retamar-specific kite bylaw is published, and the beach is governed by the general bathing-zone regime for this coast. Inside a properly buoyed bathing zone, sport navigation and recreation are prohibited outright. Where the coast is not buoyed, the bathing zone is understood as the first 200 m off a beach, and 50 m elsewhere, and nothing may move through it faster than 3 knots. Craft enter and leave through the marked channels, perpendicular to the shore and under 3 knots, and the channel buoys may not be blocked or used for mooring. Almeria's 2026 beach service provides marked navigation channels at the capital's beaches, and the buoyed zone is laid out and watched from mid-June to mid-September, which is when the restriction actually bites. Kitesurfing is not named in any of it; riders report the beach being closed to kites in high season with exit only through a nautical channel, and that is worth confirming on the sand before you rig in July or August.

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

Rider tips

Save Retamar for Poniente days, when Costa Cabana is too onshore or you want flatter water.
Watch the shore break from the sand before launching on a strong W or SW day.
In high season, confirm locally that the nautical channel is open before you rig.
Drive east from Almeria and take El Paseo del Toyo; it runs straight down to the sand.
Wear boots. The entry is over pebble and stone with rock and seagrass patches beyond it.
Poniente here runs 15-28 kt, so for 75-85 kg a 12 and a 9 covers most of what the beach throws at you.
Come in spring and there is no lifeguard on this beach: the service does not start until mid-June.

Getting there

Airport

Almeria Airport (LEI)

Route

Drive east from Almeria and follow the signs for Retamar. The airport bus to El Toyo takes about 17 minutes, and line 30 links Almeria, the airport and Retamar/El Toyo.

Transfer

10 min

Staying

Retamar and El Toyo are resort ground, with hotels and apartments near the beach. Nothing kite-specific is listed.

No-wind days

Cabo de Gata-Nijar natural park is next door; otherwise golf, the El Toyo and Retamar beach services and local adventure outfits.

Photos

Playa Retamar — Eduardo Milla, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time?

February to June brings frequent windy days with little crowding; autumn and spring are considered the best seasons overall.

Is it suitable for beginners?

Yes, Retamar is classified as suitable for any level, though shore break in strong wind calls for caution.

What is the wind like?

Southwest and west Poniente wind is the main setup here.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, including Yourtimealmeria Kitesurf, Blue Surf Center, Bora Kite School and Toyo Aventura.

Last updated: August 2026