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Ses Illetes

Balearic Islands · Formentera · La Savina

also known as Illetas, Platja de Ses Illetes, Playa de Illetas

Part of Formentera →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Nov–Apr

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-30 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

24–28 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Jul Aug Jun Sep

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Ibiza Airport (IBZ)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

There is no daily thermal cycle to plan around. The autumn-to-spring wind is synoptic: it arrives with a system, can already be up at first light, holds for a day or more, then leaves nothing for a week. Summer does produce an afternoon sea breeze, but that is the season the beach launch is shut.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Es Pujolsno page yet
Migjornno page yet
Platja de Llevant / Playa de Levante, Formenterano page yet
Espalmadorno page yet
Cala Martina, Ibiza

The spot

Ses Illetes is a real kite spot with a legal problem: it sits on Formentera's Es Trucadors peninsula inside the Ses Salines d'Eivissa i Formentera Natural Park, and kitesurfing from the beach is prohibited May to October. What is left is the other half of the year, and that half is good.

Wind and conditions

The strip is narrow white sand with water on both sides, so you pick flat or wavy by wind direction and walk across. Autumn through spring the wind is synoptic and variable, 15-30 kt on the riding days and winter kites of 6-10 m: it arrives with a system, sits up at first light, holds a day or two, then leaves nothing for a week.

Logistics and planning

The catch nobody mentions is that the lifeguard season and the legal riding season are exact opposites, so the months you can ride are the months nobody is watching the water. Independent riders should be intermediate or better and fully self-sufficient; a supervised lesson with the school's support boat is a different proposition.

Base yourself at La Savina, about 35 minutes by ferry from Ibiza and 4 km south of the beach.

The wind

locals call it Tramontana / Mestral / Levante and winter synoptic Mediterranean winds

Direction

cross-on

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

N is the annual mean direction in the La Savina historical observations. At Ses Illetes itself the N sector and E to NE are what get ridden.

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider in the autumn-to-spring window: 7-9 m on the common 20-25 knot days, 6 m when a system pushes past 30, and 11-12 m on the soft 15 knot afternoons.A 9 m and a 12 m is the sensible two-kite quiver for a winter trip.Rental gear covers the range but no published size chart exists.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

10 kt annual mean at nearby La Savina/Formentera from observations spanning 2016-06-01 to 2022-02-28; other reports show 15-30 kt variability from November to April.

Typical strength

15-30 kt on reported winter/autumn/spring riding days; summer thermal winds can be lighter but beach kiting is seasonally restricted.

Variable Mediterranean wind: 30 kt one day and 15 kt the next between November and April. E-NE sessions are side-on to side-shore when it settles. Summer brings a thermal to the Ibiza and Formentera area, but that is the season the beach launch is shut.

The legal shore window is autumn through spring. November-April is variable but rideable, on kites around 6-10 m in winter, and the better stretch is often put at September/October to March/April. Kitesurfing at Ses Illetes is prohibited May-October.

Check the current bathing-season and park rules before launching: the exact 2026-2027 dates are unconfirmed.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month39
Feb, riders' month35
Mar, riders' month44
Apr, riders' month15
May15
Jun15
Jul6
Aug13
Sep15
Oct29
Nov, riders' month40
Dec, riders' month21

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

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

39%Jan14°
35%Feb14°
44%Mar14°
15%Apr16°
15%May18°
15%Jun22°
6%Jul24°
13%Aug26°
15%Sep24°
29%Oct22°
40%Nov19°
21%Dec16°

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal.

Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	Wind from	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	39%	53%	45%	11.9 kt	NNE	12:00	12.2 °C	14.4 °C	62
Feb	35%	46%	42%	11.4 kt	ENE	14:00	12.2 °C	13.9 °C	57
Mar	44%	52%	50%	12.5 kt	SW	15:00	13.9 °C	14.4 °C	62
Apr	15%	28%	20%	9.6 kt	ENE	15:00	15.6 °C	15.6 °C	60
May	15%	27%	19%	9 kt	ENE	13:00	18.3 °C	18.3 °C	62
Jun	15%	23%	17%	9.1 kt	E	14:00	22.2 °C	21.7 °C	60
Jul	6%	19%	11%	8.8 kt	E	14:00	25 °C	24.4 °C	62
Aug	13%	24%	15%	9.2 kt	ENE	13:00	26.1 °C	25.6 °C	62
Sep	15%	25%	18%	9.3 kt	E	14:00	23.9 °C	24.4 °C	60
Oct	29%	44%	34%	11.3 kt	SW	14:00	20.6 °C	22.2 °C	62
Nov	40%	47%	42%	11.6 kt	SW	13:00	16.1 °C	18.9 °C	60
Dec	21%	34%	31%	10.4 kt	WSW	14:00	13.3 °C	16.1 °C	62

How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.

High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Calm, shallow water along the beach with easy shallow access off the sand. No depth profile has been published for it.

Tides

Kitesurfing conditions are reported as not tide-dependent; no meaningful local tide requirement was found.

Temperature

24–28 °C summer · 14–15 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 14–26 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts/rash vest can be enough around the August peak; a 4/3 mm wetsuit plus 3 mm boots suit the early-March cold-water minimum, with 5/3 mm possible for long or windy sessions.

Conditions

Ses Illetes sits on the Es Trucadors peninsula inside Ses Salines Natural Park: white sand, calm shallow water, protected dunes and Posidonia meadows.

Flat water on one side of the strip, small waves or rolling swell on the other, depending on the direction.

There are rocks in parts of it, and the dunes are off limits, so use the marked access where it exists.

Boat traffic through the Illetes and Espalmador channel is constant, and the bathing zones are buoyed all summer.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Supervised beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons run here, with an instructor and a support boat, insurance included. Independent beginners should treat this differently from a normal school beach: it is a protected park, the public shore access is seasonal, and renting means being able to set up and get yourself back.

Winter wind strength and gustiness put it in intermediate territory unless you are supervised.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestylewavesflat watersmall wavesscenic cruisinglessons with support boat

Tourist-beach pressure is high in summer, with controlled vehicle access, lifeguards, restaurants and bathing-zone buoying. The rideable shore-access season is quieter, more exposed and more local, but services and public supervision are reduced outside the summer beach setup.

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: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

2 spots nearby

All 2 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

There is no year-round rescue for independent riders. Public lifeguards cover the beach 1 May to 31 October, which is exactly the window in which shore kiting is closed, so the season you can ride is the season nobody is watching.

The school on the beach includes a support boat in its lessons and sells boat rescue as a 25 EUR add-on with a rental (2026 prices).

Beyond that it is 112 and whoever else happens to be on the water.

Launch

A narrow sand strip on the Es Trucadors peninsula with water on both sides, so you choose the side by wind and sea state.The beach itself faces west and runs a little over 450 m, cut into two sections by a rocky area.Dunes, Posidonia, restaurant terraces, marked access walkways and, through the summer, buoyed bathing areas all constrain where you can rig.In the bathing season the ordinance closes the beach launch outright, which leaves a boat start beyond 200 m as the only legal option.

Hazards riders report 13 reported

Wind

Variable Mediterranean wind, including strong 30 kt winter days.
Variable Mediterranean winds, including strong 30 kt winter days.

Crowds and zones

boat traffic in the Ses Illetes/Espalmador channel
Boat traffic around Illetes, Es Trucadors and Espalmador.

Bottom

Rocks in parts of the beach/strip.
A rocky section splits the 450 m beach in two, so the usable strip is shorter than the peninsula makes it look.

Protected areas and rules

protected natural park - no rescue infrastructure
Protected Ses Salines Natural Park: stay off dunes and Posidonia-sensitive areas and use marked walkways/access.
Seasonal bathing-zone restrictions within 200 m of beaches and 50 m elsewhere under the Formentera beach ordinance.
High tourist and swimmer density in summer, when kiting from the beach is restricted/prohibited.

Other

no kite school/rental on site
No year-round public kite rescue for independent riders on record.
The rideable season and the lifeguard season are opposites: cover runs 1 May to 31 October, the legal shore-riding window is the rest of the year.

Rules & access

1 min read

The governing text is Formentera's beach use ordinance (BOIB 133, 31 October 2017). Article 13.4 prohibits kitesurfing on the beaches and in the bathing zones during the bathing season, the bathing zone being the water within 200 m of a beach and 50 m of the rest of the coast.

Summer restrictions

In practice that closes the shore launch at Ses Illetes for the whole summer: during the bathing season you have to start from a vessel at least 200 m offshore, and any run leaving the coast must be perpendicular to it.

Outside the bathing season

Outside the bathing season the ordinance allows the sport where it does not obstruct other beach users, and the ordinance applies year-round rather than only in summer.

COVID suspension

A provisional suspension of article 13.4 was issued in May 2020 (BOIB 89, 21 May 2020) for the COVID summer and expired when the bathing season reopened; it is not a standing exemption and should not be read as one.

Park access and rules

Separately, in 2026 vehicle access into Ses Salines Natural Park is controlled 10 May to 15 October with a fee, capacity limits and no quads, while foot and bicycle access stay free; public lifeguards are scheduled 1 May to 31 October. Beached vessels are banned in the marked channels and swimmers may not use them.

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

Plan the trip for November to April. From May to October the only legal session is a boat start beyond 200 m offshore.
Check both sides of the Es Trucadors strip before rigging: one side is flat, the other takes small waves or rolling swell, depending on the direction.
Pack a 9 m and a 12 m for a winter trip; reported conditions run 6-10 m and 15-30 kt of variability.
Take the boat rescue add-on with a rental, 25 EUR in 2026, and check what rider level WhiteSand expects before you book.
Rig where the marked access and open sand allow. The dunes and the Posidonia are protected and the walkways exist for that reason.
Come in by bicycle or on foot if you can: the 2026 park vehicle control charges cars from 10 May to 15 October, while foot and bicycle access stay free.

Getting there

Airport

Ibiza Airport (IBZ); Formentera has no airport and is reached by ferry via Ibiza.

Route

Ferries from Ibiza reach La Savina in about 35 minutes. From La Savina, Ses Illetes is 4 km by road with car and motorbike parking at the end, or 3.3 km on the green route, 15 minutes by bicycle and 50 minutes walking. Arriving by boat also works.

Transfer

About 35 min ferry Ibiza-La Savina plus about 15 min by bicycle/bus/taxi from La Savina to Illetes; airport-to-Ibiza-port time is unconfirmed.

Cost level

high

Staying

No accommodation is listed inside the natural park/spot itself. Nearby bases are La Savina for the ferry, Es Pujols for the main tourist area, and Sant Francesc/Sant Ferran for inland stays.

No-wind days

Kayak or SUP around Illetes, snorkel the Posidonia meadows on a guided boat trip, walk or cycle the La Savina to Ses Illetes green route, take a kayak or boat to Espalmador, or use the beach and restaurants when access is open.

Photos

House by the sea near Formentera coastline — Paucabot / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite Ses Illetes?

November through April is the legal shore-access window, with variable but rideable wind and kites typically 6-10 m. Kitesurfing is prohibited from shore May through October.

Is Ses Illetes suitable for beginners?

Local operators sell supervised beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons with instructor, insurance and a support boat. Independent beginners should treat it differently from a normal school beach, since it sits in a protected park with seasonal access and winter wind can be strong.

What is the wind like at Ses Illetes?

Wind is variable, reported as 15-30 knots from November to April, from N-sector directions with E to NE commonly ridden. A day can swing from 30 knots to 15 knots the next.

Are there rules or restricted zones at Ses Illetes?

Formentera's 2017 beach ordinance prohibits kitesurfing in bathing zones during the bathing season, covering the water up to 200 m from beaches and 50 m from the rest of the coast. The Ses Illetes/Natural Park restriction runs May through October.

Are there kite schools or rental at Ses Illetes?

WhiteSand Surf Illetas runs an on-beach watersports school offering kitesurf courses and rentals, with instructor, insurance and a support boat.

The bigger pictureEverything about Formentera

Last updated: August 2026