# Rincón de la Victoria - Ermita Virgen del Carmen — Rincón de la Victoria, Spain

La Ermita Virgen del Carmen is the name of this break: the western end of Rincón de la Victoria beach, right where the sand ends at the foot of the El Cantal cliffs. It is a surf spot with a sandy bottom and rocks on its western side, open to the east and south-east sea.

It works mainly from autumn to spring, when a Levante storm leaves a groundswell that enters the beach; the best sessions are usually when the wind drops or turns to Terral and the waves become groomed. In summer the sea is usually flat and the beach is full of bathers. With Poniente the water gets choppy.

Hazards and rules: at the foot of the cliff there are rocks and the waves break against them, so do not go into the western end; with a Levante sea there is a current along the beach; with strong Terral the wind blows offshore and pushes the board away from the shore. During the bathing season, the buoyed area and the marked channels must be respected. We have not found a surf school on this beach; there are beach bars and restaurants on the promenade. Forecasts are checked with ARPEGE, ECMWF and ICON.

Photos: "Playa del Rincón de la Victoria" by Cayetano (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons; "Rincón de la Victoria, the western part of the city" by Dguendel (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

- **Sports:** Surf
- **Difficulty:** Intermediate
- **Location:** Rincón de la Victoria, Spain (36.71435, -4.29335)
- **Favourable wind directions (where the wind blows from):** ENE (60°), WSW (250°)
- **Wind range (knots):** 0–25
- **Best months:** October, November, December, January, February, March, April

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

| Month | <7 kn | 7–13 kn | 13–20 kn | 20–35 kn | >35 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39 | 52 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 41 | 44 | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| March | 28 | 59 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| April | 23 | 69 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 8 | 90 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 12 | 84 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| July | 16 | 80 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| August | 15 | 83 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| September | 26 | 71 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| October | 31 | 65 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 45 | 46 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| December | 47 | 40 | 12 | 1 | 0 |

## Local winds

- **Levante** — E (90°), 10–30 kn. East wind. It is the one that builds the groundswell that reaches this beach: after a Levante storm, an east and south-east wave enters and breaks along the shore next to the cliff.. With strong Levante the sea is messy and there is a current along the beach; the best sessions are usually when the wind drops and the groundswell remains.
- **Poniente** — WSW (250°), 10–30 kn. West-southwest wind. It can bring sea from the south-west; the El Cantal cliffs provide some shelter to this end of the beach.. With Poniente the wind comes in cross-shore and the waves get choppy: check the report and the sea direction before going.
- **Terral** — NNW (340°), 8–35 kn. North-northwest offshore wind, dry and gusty. It grooms the waves, but blows offshore and pushes the board away from the shore.. With strong Terral do not go far from the break: paddling back against the wind is very difficult.

## Zones

- **Launch** — Launch zone
- **Ermita Virgen del Carmen** — Navigation zone
- **Rocks at the foot of the El Cantal cliff** — Restricted zone

## Points of interest

- **Water entry**: Sand about 80 m from the foot of the cliff, away from the rocks. Approximate position.
- **Peak next to the cliff**: Breaking zone near the western end of the beach, east of the rocks. Its position changes with the sandbank.
- **Rocks at the foot of El Cantal**: Rocks at the foot of the cliff: with sea the waves break against them. Do not surf right next to the western end.
- **Cueva del Tesoro**: Sea cave visitable with guided tours, at the top of the El Cantal cliffs.

## Hazards

- Rocks at the foot of the cliff: waves break against them at the western end
- Current along the beach with Levante sea
- Terral: offshore wind that pushes the board away from the shore
- Bathers and buoyed bathing area in summer

## Obstacles

- Rocks at the foot of the El Cantal cliff, at the western end of the beach

## Facilities

- Restaurant

## Restrictions

- En temporada de baño la franja junto a la orilla está balizada y no se puede surfear dentro de ella: respeta las zonas de baño y 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).

[See it on Ventus Surf (3D map, zones and live forecast)](https://ventus.surf/spots/rincon-de-la-victoria-ermita-virgen-del-carmen-4xlawzgpZf0D8ZOBocUN?lang=en)