# Málaga - Misericordia — Málaga, Spain

La Misericordia is the long beach in the west of Málaga: wide, dark sand between the port and the mouth of the Guadalhorce, with the Espigón de La Térmica at its southern end. It is one of the two shores in the city where SUP and also surf are practised: when the swell comes in, waves usually break along the shoreline.

The spot is on the sand just north of the breakwater, where the La Térmica school gives surf, paddle surf and wingfoil lessons and rents SUP boards and kayaks; they claim to have an authorised nautical channel on this beach and schedule activities early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the wind.

Hazards and rules: with terral the wind blows from land to sea and pushes you away from the shore, so do not go out with offshore wind. The breakwater is made of rocks. In the buoyed swimming area, you cannot navigate with a board: use the marked channels. There is a sandy car park on the other side of the breakwater. Forecasts are checked with ARPEGE, ECMWF and ICON.

Photos: "Playa de la Misericordia" by Tyk (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons; "PlayadelaMisericordia(Málaga)" by Cesnaro98 (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

- **Sports:** SUP, Surf
- **Difficulty:** Intermediate
- **Location:** Málaga, Spain (36.68362, -4.44418)
- **Favourable wind directions (where the wind blows from):** ENE (60°), SE (130°)
- **Wind range (knots):** 0–12
- **Best months:** May, June, July, August, September, October

## Wind by month (% of days per strength)

| Month | <7 kn | 7–13 kn | 13–20 kn | 20–35 kn | >35 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48 | 43 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| February | 43 | 45 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| March | 35 | 59 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| April | 31 | 66 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 15 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 14 | 85 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| July | 17 | 81 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| August | 27 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| September | 29 | 70 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| October | 32 | 66 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 46 | 47 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| December | 53 | 35 | 12 | 0 | 0 |

## Local winds

- **Terral** — NNW (340°), 8–35 kn. Offshore wind from the north-northwest, dry and gusty, coming down through the mountains of Málaga. With terral the water near the shore is flat, but the wind pushes boards towards the open sea.. Do not go out with terral: returning against the wind is very difficult and the coast recedes quickly even if the water looks flat. Check the forecast and the flags before entering, do not paddle alone and always use a leash and vest.

## Zones

- **Launch** — Launch zone
- **Misericordia** — Navigation zone
- **Parking** — Parking
- **Espigón de La Térmica (rocks)** — Restricted zone

## Points of interest

- **La Térmica School**: Surf, paddle surf and wingfoil school with SUP board and kayak rentals, on the Paseo Marítimo Antonio Banderas, next to the breakwater. Approximate position.
- **Water entry**: Sand north of the breakwater: sheltered from the south side and with the calmest water on the beach when the swell comes in.
- **Sand car park**: Sandy esplanade south of the breakwater, next to the promenade. It is not mapped as a car park: the outline is approximate.
- **Espigón de La Térmica**: Rock breakwater of about 170 m. Do not paddle close to the rocks: with swell it breaks against them.

## Hazards

- Terral: offshore wind that pushes you away from the shore
- Rock breakwater next to the launch area
- Shorebreak when the swell comes in
- Boat traffic towards the port, to the northeast
- Buoyed swimming area in summer: use the channels

## Obstacles

- Espigón de La Térmica (rocks) south of the launch area

## Facilities

- School
- Parking

## Restrictions

- En temporada de baño la franja junto a la orilla está balizada y no se puede navegar con tabla dentro de ella: se entra y se sale por los canales señalizados. Sin balizas, la zona de baño es una franja de 200 m desde la orilla en las playas (Reglamento General de Costas, art. 73). La Capitanía Marítima de Málaga publica sus normas cada año.

[See it on Ventus Surf (3D map, zones and live forecast)](https://ventus.surf/spots/malaga-misericordia-fQHa1FQhK9Tj9fnlC4pr?lang=en)