Canaries windsurf spots: 10 best Canary Islands windsurfing destinations

May 27, 2020 BY AWE365 Team

Want to experience the best Canary Islands windsurfing destinations? Of course you do! After all the archipelago has some of the top windsurfing worldwide. To help you narrow down the selection check out 10 of the best Canaries windsurf spots below.

Best Canary Islands windsurfing destinations

Strong, consistent wind make windsurfing in the Canary Islands a year-round activity. Winds are at their strongest in summer, but winter brings bigger ocean swells that wave-sailors will enjoy.

Canary Islands windsurfing destinations Wikimedia image by Mistral gagnant

Daytime air and water temperatures rarely dip below 20 degrees, even in mid-winter. This makes the islands a comfortable and pleasurable place to enjoy a windsurfing break year round.

Conditions are hugely varied. Some top Canaries windsurf spots offer world-class conditions for the advanced. But there are also ideal spots for beginners and those looking to progress.

The Canary Islands are also a fabulous all-round holiday destination. You can stay in big, bustling resorts with plenty of nightlife. Or quaint Canarian villages with whitewashed houses and narrow streets.

Top 10 Canaries windsurf spots

Wherever you go, you’ll enjoy lovely scenery and a friendly welcome. With the reliable wind and endless, sparkling blue ocean to explore, the best Canary Islands windsurfing destinations are up there with the top spots worldwide.

Corralejo, Fuerteventura

Corralejo has a huge stretch of wide sandy beaches, with several windsurfing beaches and conditions to suit all. Flag Beach is the main spot, with a reliable cross-shore wind from March to September each year.

Winter can be wavy particularly on north facing beaches. The summer months from May onwards tend to be flatter however there are still waves particularly on east facing beaches. This makes Corralejo ideal for beginners and freestylers.

best Canaries windsurf spots Wikimedia CC image by Merryfrankster

Several wave spots for the more advanced can be found just along the coast. They include the notorious ‘Shooting Gallery’, with its fast reef break.

The resort itself is the largest in Fuerteventura. But despite that has a lovely, laid-back feel and a relaxed social scene. Not just one of the best windsurf spots in the Canaries but also a nice holiday destination.

El Cotillo, Fuerteventura

El Cotillo is a short drive along the coast from Corralejo. It is a quiet, working fishing village with huge beaches. It has some good windsurfing conditions, especially for learners and intermediates.

Windsurfing schools based in Corralejo sometimes take their beginners to El Cotillo. Here they can take advantage of the easy lagoon sailing in one of the best Canary Islands windsurfing destinations to learn.

Those looking for something more challenging won’t be disappointed either. The stretch of coast between El Cotillo and Corralejo is a windsurfer’s paradise, with beach after beach to explore.

Sotavento, Fuerteventura

Sotavento is a great location on Fuerteventura, offering top Canaries windsurfing. You’ll find good sailing all year-round, depending on what you are looking for.

best canary islands windsurfing destinations Flickr CC image from sotavento Fuerteventura by dirkvorderstrasse

Everything from the calmest of lagoons to the fiercest of waves can be found at different times of year and in nearby spots. At high tide, a sand bar keeps the water just off the beach flat and protected. Past the sandbar there are waves and good jumping conditions.

Caleta de Fuste, Fuerteventura

Caleta de Fuste is an attractive, family-oriented resort. There are perfect conditions for beginners to learn to windsurf.

Its bay is shallow and protected, but it still benefits from reliable, strong winds for most of the year. When conditions in other Canaries windsurf spots are too much for beginners or intermediates, Caleta de Fuste is the perfect destination.

Playa de Vargas, Gran Canaria

Playa de Vargas is a legendary windsurfing spot, often attracting the world’s best. There is a large sandbar that helps keep conditions near the beach safe for beginners, with plenty of waves on the ocean side.

Vargas is not your typical windsurfing holidays resort, so you’ll probably need to stay elsewhere. Plenty of windsurfing schools teach here. Part of the reason this beach is used almost solely for watersports as it is mainly pebbles: the sand gets blown away!

Bahia de Feliz, Gran Canaria

Bahia de Feliz is close to the large resorts of Maspalomas and Playa del Ingles, and easily accessible from them. Conditions are varied, with everyone catered for. It is the best Canary Islands windsurfing near these popular resorts.

best Canary Islands Windsurfing destinations Wikimedia Commons image by Hansueli Krapf

In the summer, waters in the bay are mainly flat, with a side-shore wind. Those looking for waves will find a gentle swell just beyond the bay that is perfect for wave novices. Stronger waves for the more advanced can be found in winter.

Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria

Pozo is not a place for the inexperienced, or the faint-hearted. The winds are high, as are the waves. It’s an extreme spot that attracts the world’s best, and often hosts the PWA World Championships.

Waves reach up to three metres, but rarely fall below a metre high. If you are not yet up to the challenge, it’s one of the best Canary Islands windsurfing destinations to watch the experts in action.

El Medano, Tenerife

El Medano is yet another world-class Canarian windsurfing destination, playing host to various competitions including the PWA World Tour. Winds are generally strong all year-round.

There is not much for beginners, but plenty for intermediate and advanced windsurfers. There are two main bays, north and south.

At the North Bay, there is a nice area of swell just off the main beach, ideal for jumping. Along the coast a little is the beach of El Cabezo, which has waves reaching between one and three metres high.

At the South Bay you’ll find a shorebreak with waves of between one and two metres. El Medano itself is an attractive, non-commercial town, which attracts a mixed crowd of watersports fans and Spanish families. For more info read this El Medano windsurfing guide.

El Medano windsurfing spot guide flickr image by El Coleccionista de Instant

Costa Teguise, Lanzarote

Costa Teguise has the windiest conditions in Lanzarote. It is also a large resort that not only attracts windsurfers but tourists looking for more leisurely activities. If you want to combine world-class windsurfing with a top-quality holiday, Costa Teguise might just fit the bill.

Las Cucharas beach is the place to head. The shallow, sheltered bay offers perfect conditions for beginners and improvers. Outside the main bay, things get windier and wavier with a good offshore break challenging intermediate and advanced wave-freaks.

Famara, Lanzarote

Famara is one of the best Canaries windsurf spots for those who want to ride waves. Beginners should give it a miss, as waves reach up to five metres, having rolled in uninterrupted across the Atlantic.

There can be some strong currents too. Famara itself is relatively undeveloped, with a bohemian feel that suits the laid-back, surf-loving crowd that stay there.

We hope you found this guide to Canaries windsurf spots useful. If the best Canary Islands windsurfing destinations has you itching for a trip then check out our windsurfing holiday discounts.

 
Atlantic Ocean, Bahia de Feliz, Canary Islands, Corralejo, Costa Teguise, Cotillo, El Medano, Europe, Famara, Flag Beach, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Maspalomas, Playa de Vargas, Playa del Ingles, Pozo Izquierdo, Sotavento, Spain, Tenerife
Windsurfing
Advanced, Beginner, Expert, Freestyle, Intermediate, Waves
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