Barcelona Windsurfing Spots – Badalona

Badalona is just 10km north of central Barcelona. The long sandy and un-crowded beach is popular with Barcelona’s windsurfers, many of whom store their gear at one of 3 windsurfing clubs.

According to the locals, the prevailing thermal wind blows stronger here than at any of the other local beaches. The sea breeze normally picks up at about midday and then drops off at around 6pm.

3 windsurfers and a kiesurfer sailing at Badalona beach near Barcelona
Light wind day at the end of September

Conditions

Conditions here are perfect for free-ride / bump and jump with chop and rolling swell as you go further out (depending on wind strength and direction).

There are 2 prevalent winds; Garbí (SW) which blows cross shore from the right and Llevant (E) which is cross-on.

Garbí is reinforced by the sea breeze and from April to July regularly blows from 12 to 18 knots. The sea state is flat and there’s no shore-break.

Llevant is less frequent and generally stronger. The only disadvantage is that it’s onshore and is accompanied by a moderate shore-break and a current which runs from left to right. The shore-break isn’t too bad but you need to time your launch carefully to avoid getting washed back up the beach.

Equipment

You can windsurf all year round at Badalona, Most of the locals use 100 litre boards with sails between 5.4 and 6.5m2. Some also have 8m sails and large slalom boards.

Wetsuits – From November to April you need a 4/3mm long sleeved steamer. The rest of the year a 3/2mm short sleeved wetsuit is sufficient. In summer you can sail in boardshorts and a rash vest.

Access and Parking

Out of season it’s normally possible to find somewhere to park on the seafront. High season you will need to get there early.

To get there from Barcelona, drive north along Gran Via which changes into the C31 (signposted Badalona). Take the “Badalona Nord” exit (number 213), then follow “Carrera Riere Canyadó” to the beach. The journey takes about 15 minutes.

Most of the year you can just park and sail wherever you want. There are normally less cars parked at the northern end of the beach.

From July to September you can only launch in front of the windsurfing clubs where there are marked channels. You don’t have to be a club member to use the channels.

Forecasts, Anemometers and Webcams

The Windfinder corrected forecast is pretty reliable for Badalona. Having said that, in the summer the sea breeze can often blow up to 5 knots stronger than forecast !

Real time wind conditions here (service currently unavailable). Note that wind speed is given in m/s, double it to get the speed in knots. The site updates every 10 minutes. As a rough guide, if it’s sunny and the sea-breeze is blowing 10 knots at mid day it will reach 15 knots by 3pm. The site also has a webcam.

Windsurfing Clubs in Badalona

There are 3 windsurfing / water sports clubs on Badalona Beach:

All three clubs allow members to store boards and one or 2 sails rigged an ready to go. Great if your job is flexible enough to allow you to sail for a couple of hours at lunchtime!

Windsurf Hire Centres and Schools in Badalona

There are no windsurf hire centres in Badalona but you can hire material from the sailing school based at CN Bétulo. I’m not sure what gear they have available apart from beginners boards.

La Escola del Vent (the wind school) teaches sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, swimming, surf and SUP. They also hire gear.

Kitesurfing in Badalona

Kitesurfing is allowed in Badalona out of season. From June to September you will need to go to Castelldefels.

If you have any questions of about windsurfing in Spain please leave a comment below.

Spot Guide

Badalona, Spain

Badalona, Spain

Badalona, Spain

9 comments

  1. Bon dia, em dic Judith i estic interessada en fer windsurf al Juliol / Agost. Sóc esportista, treballo en l’esport i he jugat a basquet i tennis més de 15 anys. Pel que fa a esports d’aigua, he fet paddle surf, 3 classes de surf i 6 classes de windsurf (molt molt bàsic). M’agradaria aprendre més windsurf (amb algun dels cursos que teniu) i no sé fins a quin punt fer alguna sortida. Em podeu indicar els preus i/o horaris que tindrieu? Si és més facil puc trucar :) Moltes gràcies!!!

    1. Bona tarda Judith,

      Gracies per contactar amb nosaltres. Em sap greu però no som una escola de windsurf sinó un bloc de viatge.

      Jo que tu contactaria amb l’Escola de Vent (veure enllaç en l’article).

  2. Hi, I have just moved to Barcelona and am itching to get windsurfing. So far I have not found anywhere that will rent advanced kit, and I do not have any of my own here. Do you know any way I can windsurf without having to buy everything myself?

    1. Hi Alex,

      The only rental places that I know that rent advanced kit near here are on the Costa Brava or Port Leucate. At this time of year, I think your best bet will be to contact Windiscovery in El Port de la Selva who, I believe, allow you to take their gear to other beaches in the area. Having said that, I haven’t rented from them and can only assume that they’ll require you to leave a deposit.

      Coincidentally, I’ve got some older second-hand “advanced kit” (from 2007 to 2015) which I’m currently selling. If you’re interested in buying several items I’m happy to give you a discount because it’ll save me time & hassle compared to selling everything individually.

      Drop me a line via the contact page and I’ll send you a list.

  3. Hi! How is it about opening a Watersport center on the north-east cost of Spain? I’m interested in running my own school. If you have informations that could be helpful please share.

    1. Hi Raf,

      I suggest you start by contacting the Registro de turismo de Cataluña, they should be able to give you some idea about the process which you need to go through and the legal requirements for setting up a water sport centre.

      Good luck!

  4. Hola,

    Mi amiga y yo queremos hacer windsurf este fin de. Teneís clase libre est sabado por la mañana? No tenemos ningun experiencia.

    Un saludo,
    Samuel

    1. Hola Samuel,

      Lo siento pero no somos una escuela de windsurf sino un blog de viaje.

      Yo que tu contactaría con la Escola de Vent (ver enlace arriba).

      Si ellos no tienen disponibilidad para este finde podrías llamar a centre municipal de vela, Vanas Dive o Base Nautic, los 3 ofrecen clases de windsurf para principiantes en Barcelona.

      Espero que esto te ayuda, buen fin de semana.

      (Translation)

      Hi Samuel,

      I’m sorry but we’re not a windsurfing school, just a travel blog.

      If I was you I’d get in touch with the Escola de Vent (see link above).

      If they don’t have courses available this weekend you could call the municipal sailing school, Vanas Dive or Base Nautic, all 3 offer beginners level windsurfing lessons in Barcelona.

      Hope this helps, have a good weekend.

    2. Hola, yo conozco a un par de monitores que pueden ofreceros esas clases. Escribeme al correo y te informaré. Pensad que ha estado haciendo mal tiempo , a ver si mejora cara a Noviembre.

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