Castelldefels, for those who have not visited, is a charming seaside town no more than 20 minutes train ride to the south of Barcelona. Castelldefels boasts an expansive and beautiful sandy beach, and it is here that Barcelona’s first dedicated kite surfing area has just been created. The sport is popular in Spain, where year round sunshine and safe waters make for perfect kitesurfing conditions.
However kitesurfing is banned in many areas for safety reasons, including along the shores of Barcelona. The sport consists of strapping ones feet to a board, much like surf or windsurf board, which is attached to a large kite that pulls the board along at great speed. Obviously this can be very dangerous in area where there are bathers in the water, or even where other water sports are taking place.
The area for kitesurfing in Castelldefels is found at La Pineda beach, where there is a newly opened office from where kite-surfing is tightly managed. If you want to kite-surf at La Pineda, first you will need to go to the office and obtain a permit as well as a special coloured lifejacket to ensure your safety by making you highly visible to life guards as well as other people on the water.
Kitesurfing at Castelldefels is only permitted in the afternoon from Monday to Friday and not at the weekend, and only when conditions are suitable – i.e. when there is a wind speed greater than 15 knots.
