If you live in Mallorca or you are just here on holiday and your plan involves paddle surf, surfing, kite, foil, or anything that touches the water, the first thing to learn is not balance — it is the wind. The island has a tricky geography, and the same morning that starts glassy can hand you 20 knots of afternoon embat right in the face. This guide explains the winds that matter here, when they show up, and where to take shelter from each.
Why the wind rules in Mallorca
Mallorca sits in the middle of the western Mediterranean with no obstacle stopping the air masses pushed down from the Gulf of Lion in the north or the Sahara in the south. The Tramuntana mountain range, that 90 km spine running along the northwest coast, acts as a wall that blocks, accelerates or deflects the wind depending on its angle. The result is that two coves only 15 km apart can have completely different conditions at the same hour.
Practical rule for anyone paddling: never trust the Palma forecast to plan a session in Pollensa or Andratx. Each bay has its own micro-climate.
The embat: the thermal afternoon wind
The most predictable and the one that surprises most visitors. The embat is a thermal sea breeze: in the morning the land heats up faster than the sea, the warm air rises, and cool sea air rushes in to replace it. From May to September, almost every day, by 12:00–13:00 the sea breeze starts to fill in from the south or southeast across most of the coast, hitting 12–18 knots by 16:00 and dying at sunset.
- South coast (Palma, Es Trenc, Cala d’Or): embat from SW–S.
- East coast (Cala Millor, Cala Ratjada): from E–SE.
- North coast (Pollensa, Alcudia bay): from NE.
For SUP, the good window is before 11:00 or after 19:00. If you can only paddle in the afternoon, look for the lee side of the embat in your area.
Tramuntana: when the north winds drop
Tramuntana is dry, cold air from the north, generated by high pressure over the Atlantic and lows over Italy. It blows mostly in autumn and winter but it can show up any time. When it lights up — 35–50 knots in the mountains — it shuts down the entire north coast for water sports. The bays of Pollensa and Alcudia become unusable.
The good news: the same range protects the south coast. With tramuntana raging in Pollensa, Es Trenc or Palma can be flat or even gently offshore (north terral), which can mean perfect SUP water. It is one of the rare reasons to head south in winter.
Mestral, llevant, xaloc and the rest of the catalogue
Balearic winds are named in Catalan/Mallorcan by direction:
- Mestral (NW): typical winter wind, cold and gusty. Closes the N and NW coast. Shelter on the SE coast.
- Tramuntana (N): described above.
- Gregal (NE): high-altitude easterly, often brings ground swell to the north coast. After a few days of gregal, expect waves in Pollensa and Cala Sant Vicenç.
- Llevant (E): clean sea wind, raises swell along the entire east coast. Interesting for classic surf, bad for flat-water SUP.
- Xaloc / Sirocco (SE): warm, sometimes carries Saharan dust. Hits the SE coast hard.
- Migjorn (S): hot dry wind, common in summer, often reinforces the embat.
- Garbí (SW): moderate, opens soft swell on the W coast.
- Ponent (W): typical afternoon westerly on the western coast.
Month-by-month rough calendar
- January–March: tramuntana and mestral dominate. North coast often closed. South coast works frequently.
- April–May: shoulder season. Calmer sea, mild garbí or soft embat days.
- June–August: daily embat. Glassy mornings, windy afternoons. Real heat.
- September–October: arguably the best SUP season. Warm water, milder winds, fewer crowds.
- November–December: tramuntana returns. Quality surf in Sa Carbó or Cala Mesquida when ground swell hits.
Shelter map by wind direction
This is the cheat sheet we actually use day to day:
- N or NE wind → drop to the S or SW: Es Trenc, Sa Ràpita, Portals Vells, Palma.
- S or SE wind → head to the N: Pollensa bay (Alcanada side), inner Alcudia.
- E wind → west coast: Sant Elm, Port d’Andratx, Banyalbufar coves.
- W wind → east coast: Cala Millor, Cala Bona, Canyamel.
- Wind over 25 knots from any direction → don’t paddle. Period.
How to read the forecast without being a meteorologist
Three sources every Mallorca rider checks:
- AEMET Balearic Islands — the official forecast. Look at “beach forecast” for your zone and the warnings.
- Windy.com with the ECMWF model. Switch to “AROME” for 1-2 km resolution over the island, much more accurate than GFS for Mallorca.
- Windguru spot by spot, with gust and direction.
What you need to read: direction (where the wind comes from), average speed, max gust, and ground swell. If the model says 10 knots gusting 22, expect 22 knot gusts and plan for the gust. If you see 1.5 m swell at 9 seconds from NE, even with no wind you will get waves on the north coast.
Our daily routine before a session
Simple protocol: check the day before, check on waking up, look at the sky. If AEMET and Windy agree on reasonable numbers (under 12 knots, low swell) and the chosen cove is downwind of the forecast, we go. If not, we change cove or change plan.
For someone on a one-week holiday this is a lot to digest. That is why on every paddle surf course and board rental we adjust the spot to the actual wind, not the forecast. If you want to go on your own and you are not sure where, just message us through contact and in two minutes we will tell you where the water is flat that day.
Summary
Mallorca always has wind. The difference between enjoying it and suffering it is reading it. Learn the names, check the forecast, pick the cove based on wind — not the other way around. And when in doubt, ask someone who has been on the water for years.
Want a safe first session without the wind guesswork? Book a guided session and we’ll pick the spot. Contact us or drop by our centre in Port d’Alcudia.