Start with the thing that catches people out. Launching a kite from Ibiza's beaches is not allowed during the bathing season, which runs roughly from May to October, because the spots with the best wind are also the beaches with the most swimmers on them. Arriving in July with a kite in the car and no plan for that rule is the standard mistake.
It does not mean no kiting in summer. It means the summer answer is a boat, and the beach answer is the other half of the year.
When the wind blows
The island gets thermal wind on most days from June through August, and Es Cavallet alone records around 155 windy days a year. April, May, September and October hold the most usable combination of wind and warmth for anyone riding from the shore.
Winter brings stronger and less predictable systems, which suits experienced riders and empties the beaches at the same time.
The spots
Es Cavallet is the main one. Shallow, choppy, with small to medium waves, and it works best on a north-easterly. It takes any level, which is why the schools use it.
Ses Salines next door is flat and shallow and picks up southerlies. It rewards intermediates and above rather than beginners.
Cala Martina, on the east coast near Es Canar, is the long-standing spot on that side and works on a south-westerly. It is a busy beach, so the seasonal rule bites here hardest.
Both southern spots sit inside the Ses Salines natural park, which is also why nothing has been built behind them.
Riding in summer
Operators run kite trips from boats, anchoring offshore and launching from the water rather than the sand. That puts you outside the beach restriction and away from the swimmers, and it is how most of the summer riding on Ibiza is done.
Our advisors can point you at the operators currently running them for the dates you are here.
Learning
There are schools on the island and they teach in the shoulder months when the beaches are legally available. A first course is usually two or three sessions before anything resembling riding happens, so it is a holiday plan rather than an afternoon.
Quick answers
Can you kitesurf on Ibiza in August? Not from the beaches. From a boat, yes.
When is kiting allowed from the beach? Outside the bathing season, roughly November to April.
Where is the best spot? Es Cavallet for most levels, Ses Salines for flat water, Cala Martina in the east.
Is there wind in summer? Yes, thermal wind on most days from June to August.
Are there schools? Yes, working mainly in the shoulder season.
What about windsurfing? The same beach restrictions apply during the bathing season.