You don’t have to go all the way to Hawaii to surf. Along the more than 160 km of the Costa del Sol there are magnificent beaches for this increasingly popular sport, both for beginners and more advanced levels; there are waves for everyone!
And in case you didn’t know, in Malaga there are also many fans of kitesurfing. Although the Mecca of Kitesurfing is in Tarifa, the wind capital of Europe, here in Malaga there is also a very favourable area for winds, discover it all in our blog!
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Table of Contents
History of surfing in Malaga
José Julián Almoguera (1953-2014) is considered the father of surfing in the Spanish Mediterranean. In the year 1970, while still a teenager, he saw a film in the Albeniz cinema in Malaga with people surfing. Then he started looking for surfboards without success. Finally, were made for him two huge surfboards at the Nereo Shipyard where his father worked. They were 2.70 metres long, weighed 30 kilos and were named “aircraft carriers”.
He practised for almost two years alone as a self-taught person without a wetsuit, until little by little other young people joined him, and four years later in 1974 the first active surfing club in the Spanish Mediterranean was founded: the Malaga Surfing Club. From the Malaga neighbourhood of Pedregalejo it then spread to Torremolinos at the end of the 70s and beginning of the 80s; and to other coastal towns (Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Marbella) in the 80s.
When is the best time to surf in Malaga
In Malaga you can surf all year round. Also in the winter months (remember that “winter” as such does not exist here) there is a lot of activity and the good temperature that we enjoy here makes many enjoy the beaches to the fullest.
Here we have to make a little nuance for the most fans regarding waves and wind, depending on whether you practice surfing or kitesurfing.
For surfing and for beginners, the best waves are in summer, when they come in series. But the biggest waves are in the winter, when they come with wind, the ideal season for kitesurfing.
Kitesurfing in Malaga
Although Malaga is obviously not Tarifa, during the winter months we share a feature loved by kite surfers: The wind. When it is most annoying to go for a walk along the sea shore, we can see the guys getting into their wetsuits to launch themselves into the wind.
The three most popular beaches are next to each other, Sacaba and Guadalmar in Malaga, directly bordering Los Alamos in Torremolinos. These three beaches share the great plain of the Guadalhorce River where is also located the airport and where there are frequent winds.
In Guadalmar you will find the Termiko beach club, the first kiteboarding school in Malaga since 2001. It can be a good place if you want to get started in this exciting sport or other water sports, here is their website.
The best beaches for surfing in Malaga
Surfing is gaining more and more prominence on the Costa del Sol every year. If you want to take advantage of your visit to Malaga to enjoy this exciting sport or get started, we will tell you about the best beaches for surfing in Malaga.
In general, we can say that the most suitable beaches for beginners are in Rincon de la Victoria or Marbella, the beaches for more advanced levels are in Malaga, Torremolinos and Fuengirola, all the details below.
Surfing in Malaga
Playa El Chanquete
This beach is located in the eastern part of the capital in the El Palo area. It is one of the favourite beaches for surfers in the province, there are westerly and easterly winds. It is a very lively area with beach bars, the old seafaring district and the best area for eating pescaito (fried fish) to replenish energy.
Surfing in Velez-Malaga
The Eastern Costa del Sol also has some magnificent beaches for surfing.
Playa Benajarafe
As we have been told, this popular beach is the best one on a day when the easterly wind blows and the spot to be is right on the part of the beach where the village ends, where you can catch the best waves.
Playa Lagos
This beach is also very popular as we can count on having moderate swell almost every day of the year with good waves on the west side of the beach.
Surfing in Torremolinos
Los Alamos is a “Mini-Mecca” of surfing, as, depending on the day, we can see dozens of surfers catching waves. And on windy days, in the eastern part of the village, bordering Guadalmar in Malaga, the blue sky takes on a colourful tone with dozens of kitesurfers.
Surfing in Benalmadena
Playa Bil-Bil
It is a very crowded beach with a good atmosphere right in the centre of the city, near the Marina, where the wind mostly blows from the east.
Surfing in Marbella
Playa Artola – Cabopino
It is one of the most popular beaches for surfing. This beautiful beach of natural dunes is perfect for both beginners and families with children, as well as more experienced surfers.
Surf Schools in Malaga
You never have practiced surfing and want to get started in this water sport? Or do you already have some previous experience and want to improve your technique? There are a number of surfing and kitesurfing schools that offer beginners’ courses along the coast of Málaga. In addition, these schools generally offer their clients the rental of the necessary equipment for surfing or paddle surfing, such as boards, wetsuits and accident insurance.
On the website Yumping there are a lot of offers for surfing in Malaga, ranging from basic courses of 2 hours, 5 hours, 2 days, 5 days or 10 days or 1 day per week, to name a few options.
How much does it cost to surf in Malaga?
It depends a bit on the offer you choose. For a basic course of several hours, prices range from 20 to 40 Euros, for courses of several days we can calculate between 170 Euros and 500 Euros, depending on the number of days.
Wave forecast in Malaga
If you’re one of those who get up early to take a walk on the beach, you might have wondered how people are already in the water at this time of the day taking full advantage of the morning surfing? Because, of course, they have up-to-date information about the waves. On this page Todosurf you can find the wave forecast for Malaga and the Costa del Sol.
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The Costa del Sol is pure Luxury!;)
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The best beaches on the eastern Costa del Sol – La Axarquía