Isla Christina / Huelva / Spain

Situated about 40 minutes north west of Huelva, close to the Portuguese border on Spain's south west coast, lies the beach at Isla Cristina. It is a very popular spot with surfers, kite surfers and wind surfers of all levels and abilities. It is also very popular with tourists so there may well be restrictions in place. It might be a good idea to check this out before you set off. There is no real season here but the best times to surf are from April to October.

Isla Cristina has a large white sandy beach that is both long and wide. This is good news for kite surfers who can take off and land on this beach with no problems. To find it you need to take the A49 towards the Portuguese border. Just before it you will see signs for Isla Cristina and the beach.

The wind direction comes at you predominantly from either north, south west or west southwest. All these directions work well here. The water quality is clean and conditions can be anything from flat to choppy, through to small or medium waves depending upon wind direction and strength. The water temperature tends to hover somewhere between 18-26 degrees depending upon the time of the year. This means that you can get away with shorts or a shorty for most of the year,. However during the winter a long suit is advisable.

There isn't much at the spot apart from parking. If you require shops, bars restaurants and accommodation then you might want to head into Lepe which is the nearest town. If you are in need of some nightlife, then take a drive back to Helluva.

This is a fairly safe spot to practice. Just be aware of the swimmers and bathers around the shoreline during the busy summer months.