Whether you want to spend the day on a different beach or just are a big fan of tuna fish: Zahara de los Atunes offers both! In September you can see lots of fishing boats with cranes out at the sea. It is time to catch the tuna fish that are returning from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Zahara owns its’ very existence to the trade of tuna fishing, a tradition that started in the 13th century.
In 1294, in exchange for his defence of Tarifa, the Count of Medina Sidonia obtained permission from the king to fish for tuna on a large scale in Zahara de los Atunes. He built the Castillo de la Chanca where the fish could be processed before being transported to Conil. For the dirty work he used free labour: prisoners from Seville. When the season was over, they went back to their cells.
Lost in the nets
Those days the fishing was done using a method that is still used today: with the use of the almadraba. The almadraba is a maze of nets that are set out in the sea. The nets are placed relatively near the coast, on the ‘high way for tuna fish’. One could say that with time they would learn to swim around the nets but their natural enemies, the orcas, swim in the deeper part of the sea.
No wonder the inhabitants of Zahara see the orcas as their best friends.
These nets do not reach the bottom of the sea and smaller fish can simply swim through them. Only the largest tuna, weighing about 300 kilos, remain in the nets and are then taken out. Fishermen used to do this with a hook, nowadays this is done with a crane.
The beach
Zahara has 14 kilometers of uninterrupted beaches that invite you to enjoy a day of surfing, sailing, horseback riding, kite surfing and taking a nice walk through the dunes of the Playa del Cabo de la Plata. Overgrown dunes, warm white sand with some beautiful shells and smooth polished stones and the sound of the waves give you the feeling that you are in the middle of nature. In the morning you can even see cows on the beach!
Dance & laughter
Wind and weather, piracy and long working days, life in Zahara was not always easy. But the inhabitants also knew how to make the best of a few spare moments. After a long day at work, fishermen, gypsies and workers with their families came to relax along the banks of the river Cachón. There they made music and laughter predominated.
The people of Zahara are proud that this tradition has resulted in an expression known throughout Spain: ‘cachondeo’, making jokes together.
The tradition of partying and laughing still lives on today. In the summer months there are concerts every weekend, and also regularly during the week, in various bars in the centre. After a day at the beach, the bustling casual nightlife for which Zahara de los Atunes is also known beckons.