Beach forecast for Tarifa
Today, Thursday, October 29, 2026 · local time (CET) · Cádiz, Spain Today, Thu, Oct 29 · CET- Swimming
- Calm · 4.1 ft
- Water
- 67 °F · cool
- Max UV
- 4 · SPF 30
- Low tide
- 9:50 am and 10:18 pm
Today, Thursday, October 29, it's a poor beach day in Tarifa (3/10). The best day this week is Monday, November 2, at 8/10.
Beach forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best hours | Swimming | Water | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 3Poor beach day | Not today | Calm · 4.1 ft | 67 °F | 4 |
| Fri 30 | 3Poor beach day | No good window | Calm · 3.0 ft | 69 °F | 3 |
| Sat 31 | 7Good beach day | 12:00–5:00 pm | Calm · 2.9 ft | 69 °F | 4 |
| Sun 1 | 4Poor beach day | 1:00–6:00 pm10:00 am–12:00 pm | Calm · 3.7 ft | 69 °F | 4 |
| Mon 2 | 8Good beach day | 1:00–6:00 pm | Calm · 2.0 ft | 69 °F | 4 |
| Tue 3 | 5Fair beach day | 1:00–6:00 pm | Calm · 1.8 ft | 68 °F | — |
| Wed 4 | 1Not a beach day | No good window | Calm · 2.1 ft | 68 °F | — |
Each rating comes from sun, temperature, rain, wind, waves, UV, water temperature and, where there is one, the tide.
Today in detail
- Sunny
- Calm for swimming: 4.1 ft waves
- UV 4 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen
- Water at 67 °F (cool)
- Low tide at 9:50 am: more sand
- Feels like 68 °F: a bit cool
Today, hour by hour
- Swimming Calm · 4.1 ft
4.1 ft waves: calm for swimming. Low rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
- Water 67 °F
Cool: refreshing on a hot day.
- Sun & sunscreen UV 4 · SPF 30
Max UV 4 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, reapplied every 2 hours.
- Wind 22 mph
Fresh onshore wind (22 mph): blowing sand.
- Tide & sand 9:50 am
Low tide at 9:50 am and 10:18 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide at 4:30 am and 4:47 pm.
We don't have data on jellyfish, sargassum or beach closures: ask the lifeguard or check with the local beach authority.
Today, hour by hour
| Time | Rating | Sky | Feels like | Wind | Waves | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 am | 2 | Mainly clear | 64 °F | 17 mph | 4.1 ft | 0 |
| 10:00 am | 4 | Mainly clear | 65 °F | 17 mph | 4.1 ft | 1 |
| 11:00 am | 4 | Mainly clear | 65 °F | 21 mph | 4.1 ft | 2 |
| 12:00 pm | 4 | Mainly clear | 67 °F | 21 mph | 4.1 ft | 4 |
| 1:00 pm | 3 | Mainly clear | 67 °F | 22 mph | 4.1 ft | 4 |
| 2:00 pm | 3 | Mainly clear | 68 °F | 22 mph | 4.1 ft | 4 |
| 3:00 pm | 3 | Mainly clear | 67 °F | 21 mph | 4.1 ft | 3 |
| 4:00 pm | 3 | Clear sky | 68 °F | 19 mph | 4.0 ft | 1 |
| 5:00 pm | 3 | Mainly clear | 67 °F | 19 mph | 3.9 ft | 1 |
Beach hours only: from one hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
Beaches near Tarifa
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Playa Chica 0.4 mi · S
- Restrooms
- Showers
- Parking
- Playa Isla de Las Palomas 0.6 mi · S
- Playa de Los Lances 1.6 mi · NW
- Lifeguard
- Restrooms
- Showers
- Parking
Excellent water quality 2025 season, EEA
- Playa de Valdevaqueros 6.0 mi · NW
- Parking
Excellent water quality 2025 season, EEA
Named beaches within 6.2 mi, nearest first. Amenities from OpenStreetMap: some may be missing or out of date. View on OpenStreetMap · Add or fix on OpenStreetMap
Beaches and amenities: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Bathing water quality: European Environment Agency (EEA), with data from the Spanish Ministry of Health (Náyade).
Webcams near Tarifa
Webcams provided by windy.com — add a webcam
How we rate a beach day
We rate every beach hour from 0 to 10 with simple, fixed rules:
- Adds: sunshine (up to 3 points, fewer with more clouds), warmth (up to 4, from the feels-like temperature; ideal between 81 °F and 91 °F), a calm sea (1), water at 70 °F or warmer (1; from 64 °F, half) and low or mid tide (1: more sand). Anything without data is left out and the rest is scaled to 10.
- Takes away: cold (feels-like below 64 °F, 1 to 4 points), rain (half a point if likely, up to 6 if it rains; thunderstorms, 8), wind from force 4, about 12 mph (1 to 6 points; half a point more if offshore, which blows inflatables out to sea, or onshore, which churns the water), waves (1 to swim with care, 4 if dangerous, 1 more for high rip current risk), very high UV (half a point; extreme, 1), water below 59 °F (1) and spring high tides (1: little sand left).
- Swimming: calm, use care (waves from 2.6 ft, or long swell) or dangerous (from 6.6 ft, or 4.9 ft with a long period), based on how much of the wave reaches this shore given the way it faces. In the U.S., today's and tomorrow's rip current risk comes from the National Weather Service surf zone forecast when it issues one; otherwise we estimate it from the waves.
- Best windows: runs of 2 to 5 hours rated 4 or more and close to the best hour, at least one hour apart.
- Day rating: the average of the best window; a 2-hour window keeps 85% of it and a 3-hour window 95%.
Today, in the best window: sun 2 of 3, warmth 1 of 4, calm sea 1 of 1, water 0.5 of 1 and tide 1 of 1; minus wind 1.5; short window: the rating keeps 85%.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: weather changes and every beach is different. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
Questions about the beach in Tarifa
Is it a beach day in Tarifa today?
A poor beach day: 3/10. No good beach time today.
What are the swimming conditions in Tarifa today?
4.1 ft waves: calm for swimming. Low rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
How warm is the water in Tarifa?
About 67 °F today: cool. That's the sea surface temperature offshore; it can differ a little at the shoreline.
How much sun protection do I need in Tarifa today?
UV reaches 4 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
When is low tide in Tarifa?
Today low tide is at 9:50 am and 10:18 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide is at 4:30 am and 4:47 pm.
What about tomorrow? Will it be a beach day in Tarifa?
Tomorrow, Friday, October 30: a poor beach day (3/10).
What beaches are near Tarifa?
Playa Chica (0.4 mi), Playa Isla de Las Palomas (0.6 mi), Playa de Los Lances (1.6 mi) and Playa de Valdevaqueros (6.0 mi). See below for amenities and water quality.
Are there jellyfish or sargassum today?
We don't know: there's no open data on jellyfish, sargassum or closures for each beach. Ask the lifeguard, check the flags or the local beach authority's website.
How is the rating worked out?
From the hourly forecast: sun and clouds, feels-like temperature, rain, wind (and whether it blows onshore or offshore), waves and their period, UV, water temperature and, where there is one, the tide. Each factor adds or takes away a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10.
More about Tarifa today
Learn more
Our own calculation, using the Open-Meteo forecast (ECMWF, NOAA GFS, Météo-France, Copernicus Marine and CAMS, CC BY 4.0), the tide from Tarifa (TICON-4) and the sun from astronomy-engine. Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database). Source: Hart-Davis, M., Dettmering, D., Seitz, F. (2025), TICON-4: TIdal CONstants based on GESLA-4 sea-level records, SEANOE, https://doi.org/10.17882/109129. Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Modified: see https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database#modifications-to-source-data