The Months Fly By ... So Do The Birds !!!!

Once again, the seasons have changed and we have been able to get out to our beloved Tarifa. The town was fairly quiet this Spring and the weather rather fickle. We had everything from nice steady on shore Poniente winds, right up to 'sandburn on the back of your legs' monster off shore Levante winds and a few calm days in between for Jan to work on her tan!

Still, we got about a bit and had a really chilled time and I even got out on the water just to prove I can still kite! I also had the privilege of launching (and landing) one of the Tarifean airforce down at Valdevaqueros/Las Dunas - he was one of only two kites out in a Force 8 off shore on a tiny 5mtr kite. Balls of steel, brain of rock!!!!

We also saw a amazing early morning gathering of massive birds of prey in the hills on the way to Bolonia. We stopped and watched for 20 minutes as each waited for the right moment to spread out 6 feet of beautifil brown wings to lift up effortlessly - right in front of us, so close we felt we had to duck down as they cleared the ridge and headed up into the early breeze!

Anyway, must dash - here are a few piccies - Jan wasn't as mobile as usual (her repalcement knee operation was looming), but she got some great shots from close range - including a kitchen sink literally 'in transit'. Enjoy ...

A Winter's Tale - Fun in the Sun

Just a few short words and a couple of piccies to remind us of Tarifa. The weather gods were kind to us this winter and although there was rather a lot of strong offshore Levante wind, we had plenty of fun bike rides and a wonderful Christmas brunch on the beach. I also got an awesome kitsurfing session in a light onshore Poniente wind with a great swell on a surprisingly warm Boxing Day, right in front of the studio.

Cant wait to get back out there as soon as possible ...

Seasons in the Sun - Tarifa's Wonderful Weather

The world spins, it travels round the sun and there goes another wonderful Autumn in Tarifa. We had every kind of weather this time - fog, rain, dead calm, glorious sun, offshore Levante wind and finally a high tide which flooded the lagoon due to the Force 7 Poniente (yes - that nice steady cross onshore wind that we get all winter ... usually).

So the choice of clothes, activities and location was done on the spur of the moment and often changed three times in one day. Still we had a wonderful time - exploring, cycling, wrestling with the beach tent, flying kites, watching sunsets, drinking shandy (!) and whilst the town was a bit quieter than usual, there were still plenty of bars / restaurants open and interesting people (and camper vans) to watch.

Oh, and the new building developments behind us on Los Lances are almost complete - so just a couple of cranes remain on the skyline and I guess, despite the credit crunch, we will start to see a few more new faces next year.

Here are a couple more piccies to keep the blog up to date - remember, you can find lots more pictures of Tarifa and its area by joining our Facebook - use this link or just search for 'Tarifa Studios' on Facebook.

The Time Goes By So Quickly ...

Can't believe that we have been back out to Tarifa a couple of times already and September has come round again!!! Thought we would drop a few nice piccies from our last trip onto the blog to keep it current.

I used my brand new Naish Helix 14mtr loads of times, which worked really well in the very variable conditions we got and my Naish Shockwave 9mtr in the stronger stuff. Set up with the new Naish Smart Loop bar and lines, I felt really comfortable and in control. Sadly, a novice kitesurfer had drowned the week before whilst under instruction, which reminded us all that safety is so important in this extreme but awesome sport.


Jan smuggled in a kidnap victim from her school canteen and he looks like he had a wild time.


We also met a whole bunch of lovely people - of various ages and had lots of relaxed fun. We even did a bit of dancing outside the new improved Serengeti beach bar just next to La Tortuga I on Los Lances Beach.


Jan took some really great pictures - you can see lots more of them on our TarifaStudios Facebook site.

UK seems very cold and dark now - cant wait to get back out in October.

Tarifa Time Again!!! (with link to our Facebook)

Just a short message this time to get a couple of new piccies onto the blog - including our new kittens, Domino and Da Vinci, who had to stay in the UK while we were away and got even sleepier and bit bigger.



We had a great time out in Tarifa this Xmas, including a very uplifting midnight mass with the locals in San Mateo church. We met Chris Skone-Roberts (photographer and dog wrestler) and Karen (photographer and dog chaser) from Lazy Blue Skies - check out their web site to see some great kitesurfing shots. They live out in Tarifa and are often seen out and about in their funky van or on the beach / in the water - depending whether they are working or playing!


We had lots of different weather this visit but it was just great to be on the beach, messing about, trying out new kites (with my neighbour) and trucking all over town on our trusty (not yet rusty) mountain bikes.


Our TarifaStudios Facebook is starting to build up - I can see how people get addicted to the thing - its great fun just trying to figure out what to look at, what to join and what to ignore. We have joined the 'ikitesurf' Facebook group (thanks for the tip Chris) where I found a really great Tarifa based business / website run by Kev and Lisa (http://highflyerstarifa.com/).



We will still keep this blog going but it is SOOOO much easier (and quicker) to post our photos to Facebook - so if you want to see lots more about Tarifa - then use this link to ask to become a 'friend'.

We can't wait to get back out to Tarifa again but we have plenty to do in the UK before then (Burns Nite Supper, Cirque Du Soleil, Edinburgh and even a trip to Mull) ... oh and do some work (I nearly forgot!!!).

Hope to see you on the beach ... soon!

David & Jan

Long Time No Post

Well, what can I say ... its just been far too long since I posted anything!!! We had a truely wonderful time in Tarifa back in October and Jan took some great pictures - a selected few are shown below for your entertainment and delight!

La Tortuga I finally got its long awaited new coat of paint - it was a bit orange at first but we soon got used to the glow and it does look a lot better now the whole building has been done. The new developments a few streets behind us continue to take shape and are look pretty posh. Also, there seemed to be chiringitos on the beach until later this year compared to previous seasons (the Soul Bar was still going strong when we left) ... I guess we can call it all progress. Ironically, Tarifa was in fact very quite - even for that time of year.

Apparently, there had been torential rain the day before we arrived and there was a flood so Cheno, our diligent gardner / handyman had to rescue the lawn ... Its all looking pretty tidy now though:

We will be back out soon to enjoy the clean winter air and so that I can rub the rust off my bones and get out kiting again - on land and on sea!!! A neighbour in La Tortuga let slip that he had a kite buggy that he hadn't been out on for a couple of years (due to young family growing up) - so maybe I can convince him to let me have a shot. its about the only kite related toy that I havn't yet got!!!

Hope to see you there ... soon.

David & Jan

P.S. We have started up a Tarifa Studios Facebook (www.facebook.com) - mostly to see what all the fuss is about. Do send us an invite if you want us to be 'friends' ...

Midsummer Madness

Well, what can I say ... We finally got back out to our home from home in glorious Tarifa - a month for Jan, three weeks for me and four days for our niece (Anette) and it was all just wonderful.

Okay, August is the busiest time of the year; I read in the local El Duende paper that Tarifa's population triples from 20,000 to 60,000 plus we can't kite right in front of the studio like the rest of the year, but the place still has such a 'chilled vibe' - despite the traffic and busy beaches. And, there is always something to see and do - either weaving in and out of the 300 kites on the Dos Mares end of Los Lances beach, listening to great live music in the Chiringuito bars and in the old town squares or just people watching - EVERYWHERE. The great thing is that with 11km of beach - there is always a quite spot somewhere - especially when the Levante is blowing!!!


Tarifa is slowly expanding with the new La Vega Poligono Comercial (Business Park) opening up (hurray, we now have a great Plus supermarket just five minutes walk away) and they are rapidly completing the urbanisation of La Marina at the back of the Estadio de Fútbol on Los Lances. Although this housing scheme is very small scale compared to Costa del Sol standards, it will give a slightly different feel to 'our' end of town but I am sure it will be for the better once all the building work is completed. Thankfully, they all look pretty tasteful and there aren't any high rise blocks - there will also be a large pool / garden area (although lets hope the little fields in front with their cows, horses and chickens survive for a while longer).

Some good news (for us and our guests) is that La Jaima disco on the other side of the Football Stadium has been demolised and the site cleared - although, the clubbers amongst you needn't worry, as this most famous of Tarifa's 'carpas' (literally 'tents') has been reborn at the back of the business park - along with a couple of other new ones like 'Space' and 'Stuk'. If they stick a bit closer to their licenced hours (closing at 3 am weekdays and 4am on weekends and festive holidays rather than pushing their luck, sometimes until 6 or 7am) then everyone will be happy - even the local mayor (Miguel Manella), who had to shut some of them (and confiscate the sound systems from a few bars) for ignoring the laws on opening hours and music (as the Serenguti found out to their cost only last week).

Another bit of improvement is that the promemande (Passeo Maritimo) has now been fully completed with the showers all connected and new lights installed and working - so beach goers can now wash away the sand, campers can get ready for their night out (as Miss Czech Republic with her Black BMW estate seems to do every evening at 5:30pm on the dot) plus we can walk or cycle right from the studio to the old town/port (even at night).

Also, La Tortuga I is finally having her facelift - although it took a few days to get over the shock of the bright new 'yellow'. The painters (Manci and Antonio from Bianchi Pinturas) have now become part of the family - they say the job seems a bit like the never ending painting of the Forth Road Bridge in Edinburgh or the Golden Gate in San Fransico!!!

And finally, the weather was a bit wierd (30+ dec C most days plus Poniente / Levante / nothing / clouds / rain / blue skies) ... but the climates are changing all over the world (often with disaterous consequences and not just for the less developed countries) so we just enjoyed whatever the day brought and chose the most suitable activites. The days went by all too quickly - either kitesurfing (I used all of my kites from 9mtr to 16mtr and my new Nobile 666 board), landboarding (which I really clicked with this time round, as the lagoon had flooded and compacted the sand right along the back of the beach), moutain biking (along the prom or out to the new bird watchers' hide by the Rio Jara), shopping (derrh!!) or just chilling on our very private terrace and watching the beach life, the ebb and flow of the locals and the passing travellers in the car park below.

So we are now back at work and starting to think about getting back out to Tarifa in October - hope you get there even sooner!!!