Tarifa earns its reputation as the wind capital of Europe from a quirk of geography: the funnel of the Strait of Gibraltar accelerates Atlantic and Mediterranean air masses through a 14-kilometre bottleneck. The result is two reliable seasonal winds — the easterly Levante, hard and gusty, and the westerly Poniente, smoother and warmer — that blow more than 300 days a year.
The action concentrates along the seven-kilometre arc of Playa de Los Lances and Playa de Valdevaqueros north of town. Dozens of schools and rental shops line the N-340 between the two beaches; cheaper rates and quieter water tend to be towards Valdevaqueros, while Los Lances has more set-up space and easier access on foot. Wetsuits are essential outside of high summer.