Its more than a paddle trip! 🇪🇸

Join us for an unforgettable week of downwind paddling in Tarifa, Spain—one of the world's premier wind sports destinations.

Located at the southern tip of Spain where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, Tarifa is famous for its incredible strong winds, warm water, beautiful sunsets and an old town rich in history and culture. 

For decades, windsurfers and kitesurfers have travelled here to chase the legendary el levante and el poniente winds. Now, surf ski paddlers are discovering why Tarifa is one of the best downwind locations on the planet.

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Why September?

September offers the perfect conditions:

• Consistent 20–30 knot winds
• Warm water and sunny weather
• Smaller crowds than peak European summer
• Excellent downwind conditions nearly every day

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Learn from Two Expert Coaches

This camp combines two coaching styles to help you become a more complete downwind paddler.

Boyan Zlatarev

Owner of the Surf Ski Center Tarifa.

Boyan is internationally respected for teaching paddling efficiency—helping paddlers catch and connect runners using less effort and fewer strokes. His understanding of ocean movement makes him one of the world's leading downwind coaches.

Luke Horder

Luke's coaching focuses on wave positioning—understanding how the surf ski interacts with wind, swell and ocean energy so you can paddle faster, with more control and confidence.

Together, you'll learn how to:

• Read the ocean more effectively
• Pivot your surf ski on sharper angles
• Less strokes and more speed 
• Build confidence in stronger wind conditions

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A Typical Day

Imagine waking up to:

• 30°C sunshine
• Warm blue water
• Strong, consistent winds

Your day includes:

• Daily weather and safety briefing
• Transport to the best downwind location
• Two coached downwind runs (conditions permitting)
• A siesta in between or a lay by the hotel pool 
• Video analysis and coaching
• Relaxed evenings enjoying Spanish food in the old town with the group

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World-Class Downwind Runs

Tarifa offers a variety of spectacular runs depending on the wind direction. We have the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean side to use depending on the wind direction. The wind speeds increase as they squeeze through the Gibraltar Strait making for stronger winds than you will find anywhere else in the world. 

Typical course distances are 9km, 16km, and 24km. A typical day could be 2 x 9km runs, 1 x 16km or 1 x 24km. Each day will vary to mange everyones bodies and to maximise the windy days. 

A rest day on a less windy day could see the group catch the ferry over to Morocco for the day to see a different culture and to taste the best Tagine. 

All the beaches are easy to launch from as they are flat (no swell) and the downwinds are close to shore the whole way, making you feel safe at all times. 

There are also 2 x safety speedboats out there everyday as part of the Tarifa water safety. Every paddle we radio in to the water safety team and provide the information of how many there are of us and where we are starting and finishing the downwind. This means we have the safety speedboats monitoring us and ready if we need them. Plus we all place trackers in our PFD and our dedicated land crew follow us using the TracTrac App on every paddle. 

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More Than Just a Paddle Trip

This isn't simply a holiday.

Its a fitness week where you will learn so much about the physics of surf ski paddling! You can eat and drink as much as you like and still come off lighter than you started. 

Indulge yourself in the wide variety of Tapas meals, to delicious Paella, local seafood, European wines as you try out your Spanish speaking skills makes for a fun cultural adventure. 

Perhaps your partner or family join you in Tarifa or you could fly in with them to Europe and leave them to enjoy Paris, London, Portugal or the Swiss Alps and then meet back up them to continue on your European journey.

Everyone wins in Europe! 

Safety First

Safety is central to everything we do.

Each morning includes a one-hour briefing covering:

• Weather forecast
• Route planning
• Safety procedures
• VHF radio communication
• Individual call signs

Every paddler is equipped with:

• Radio attached to their PFD
• GPS tracking device monitored by our land support team

With two coaches on the water plus 2 x safety speed boats also on the water and our dedicated land support team, you'll always be well looked after.

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Small Group Coaching

To ensure personalised coaching, the trip is limited to 12 paddlers.

This allows plenty of individual feedback both on and off the water.

Regardless of paddling speed, the group stays connected through:

• Staggered starts
• Regrouping points
• All paddlers communicate via walkie talkies 
• In VHF contact with Tarifa water safety speed boats. 

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Local Knowledge

Having experienced local coaches makes a huge difference.

We'll take advantage of:

• Hidden launch sites
• Secret downwind runs
• The best daily conditions
• Years of local experience

Rather than guessing where to paddle, we'll always aim for the best run available each day.

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The Social Experience

Some of the best memories happen off the water.

Throughout the week we'll enjoy:

• Group breakfasts (buffett breakfast included) 
• Team lunches by the hotel pool 
• Tapas dinners in the old town 
• Authentic Spanish cuisine
• Local wines
• Plenty of stories from each day's paddle

It's the perfect combination of hard training, adventure and European lifestyle.

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Partners Welcome

Partners/non-paddlers are welcome to join the trip at no extra cost.

Accommodation includes a shared double room, and partners are encouraged to join:

• Breakfasts
  
• Dinners
• Social activities

They're part of the adventure too, however, we are out paddling all day so there is plenty of local activities to join. If your partner is joining you please let us know so we can purchase the buffet breakfast ticket for each day. Breakfast is $25 AUD each day. 

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Our Motto

Safety. Progression. Adventure.

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Important Information

Please do not book flights until:

• Your payment has been received
• The trip has been confirmed
• We have contacted the group to proceed with flight bookings

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Questions?

Email:
admin@sydneyharboursurfclub.com.au

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Surf Skis Available

Epic

• V8 Ultra 
• V9 Ultra 
• V8 Double Ultra 

Fenn

• Bluefin S Glass Vacuum 
• XT S Glass Vacuum 
• Swordfish S Glass Vacuum 
• Bonito Glass Vacuum 

Nelo

• 520 ML 
• 520 L 
• 520 XXL 
• 540 XXL 
• 550 ML 
• 600 Double 

NK

• Club 540 
• Squall 580 
• Excrize 

Other Nelo Variants can be transported from the Nelo factory in Portugal and delivered to Tarifa for our paddle trip. This will be at a slightly extra cost