Bluedome - windsurfing on the costa brava

Windsurfing is well established on the Costa Brava as the region has the essential elements in abundance. The sea is clean and the coastline is dramatically atractive ranging from the sculpture of the limestone cliffs in the north to the sweeping beaches further south. The other key element is some wind and the region has that too.

The ‘tramuntana’ blows from the central mountains and can be cold, it can also blow for days and days on end. The wind conditions that most visitors will encounter are the thermic winds that are developed between the land and sea temperature changes. In the southern part of the Gulf of Roses it is so predictable that you cam almost set your watch by it. Toni Castellar is the centre manager for the Club Mistral windsurf centre on the Balliena beach and he told us about the way the centre operates. The onshore wind conditions make windsurfing in the afternoon a real pleasure and the wind speed can allow the experts to really show off.

Club Mistral have a wide range of windsurf equipment for hire. It is all new every season and is aimed at the beginner or slightly experienced windsurfer, if you want radical or extreme equipment I suggest that you bring your own. The Balliena beach also caters for kite surfing and all the other water based speed activities. The beach is very sensibly sectioned off to create safe areas for families and swimmers leaving the windsurfers and kitesurfers to play in their own sections of beach and water. Club Mistral have their own section of beach and also provide a beach watch during their training and operating sessions. Most beaches do not have lifeguards so my advice is try not to get into trouble.

The Estacio Nautica at Santa Susanna also offers a wide range of gear and tuition. The windsurfing equipment is new and well maintained and the 10 hour windsurfing course which includes the hire of equipment costs 130€ and looks like a bargain. If you want to just hire the gear then expect to pay about 10€ an hour for the use.