Kitesurfing in the Canary Islands: Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Tenerife

For kitesurfing in the Canary Islands, the north-east trade winds peak in summer, but the best dates depend on the beach. Fuerteventura has both the Sotavento lagoon in the south and waves around Corralejo in the north. On Lanzarote, Famara under the cliffs is most consistent from May to September; on Tenerife, El Médano is the main kite spot.

I wouldn't pick an island by average wind speed, though. What decides your session is where the wind comes from relative to the beach, whether you're landing on sand or volcanic rock, and how much water is left at low tide. Those things vary more between beaches than between islands.

When the wind blows in the Canaries

The trade wind (alisio in Spanish) blows from the north-east and peaks in summer. Sotavento's strongest, steadiest winds come in spring and summer, Famara's most consistent winds from May to September. As a rough guide, expect 10-25 knots (5-13 m/s) at El Médano in winter and 15-30 knots (8-15 m/s) in summer.

The table shows 2001-2025 averages from the NASA POWER model. At the 4 locations compared here, July is the windiest month and October the lightest. The model calculates wind 10 m up on a grid of roughly 50 km, not the wind on the beach. Where mountains or cliffs speed it up, you'll get more on the water. Figures are in knots, m/s in brackets.

Don't expect warm water. At Sotavento it's around 19 °C in winter and 23 °C in summer. At Famara a 3/2 mm shorty, a short wetsuit, may suit summer conditions: it has 3 mm neoprene around the torso and 2 mm panels on the limbs. From autumn to spring I'd plan on a full 4/3 mm suit. Treat that as a starting point for the water temperature, wind and how easily you get cold; consider a full suit in summer too if you feel the cold. Winter Atlantic swell can bring much larger waves to Famara.

If you're mainly working around your dates and the Canaries are one option among several, consider other places to kitesurf in July or in August too.

Fuerteventura

Sotavento: a lagoon that fills with the tide

Sotavento is on the south-east coast near Costa Calma. The lagoon is about 4 km long and at an ideal high tide it holds a strip of shallow water up to 200 m wide. It doesn't fill sufficiently at every high tide; the moon phase matters too. Before booking lessons I'd check the René Egli centre's lagoon calendar. It estimates levels at the deepest points, so an instructor still needs to assess the depth where you'll learn. At extreme low tide there's barely any water left in the lagoon; beyond the sandbank you're riding in the open sea.

The wind comes from the north-east over the dunes, so on the water it blows at an angle off the land, which kiters know as cross-offshore. If you go down outside the lagoon and can't relaunch, the wind carries you away from the beach. In wind blowing off the land, only go out with rescue arranged in advance: a rescue craft with a trained operator must already be on the water, and someone on shore must know you're riding. That applies to experienced riders too. Check the service hours, coverage area, terms and price with the centre beforehand. Summer wind is gusty and can exceed 50 knots (26 m/s). A swimming zone separates kiters from windsurfers.

For beginners I'd choose a lagoon session with a school according to the depth and wind. I'd also ask whether they teach self rescue, meaning how to handle an emergency with your kite on the water. With wind blowing off the land, this procedure won't ensure you get back to shore and cannot replace rescue cover. If you already ride, bring a smaller kite to summer Sotavento than you'd use at home.

Sotavento is also on the kite spot map.

Flag Beach in Corralejo

Flag Beach is next to the town of Corralejo in the north-east of the island, facing the small island of Lobos, inside a protected area. It works in north, north-west and north-east winds and is most consistent in spring and summer. The beach is sandy, but there are rocks in the water. A safe entry depends on the tide, so I'd have an instructor show me the route in. Waves break in several places along the beach. Check the wind direction too: it sometimes blows offshore. Schools and rental are right in Corralejo.

If I were starting out on Fuerteventura, I'd go for Flag Beach or the Sotavento lagoon, with an instructor either way. The spot is on the map as Corralejo.

The north shore: reefs for experienced riders

At Majanicho on the north coast, you rig and launch on volcanic rock, with sea urchins in the water and a strong current. With those hazards, I'd only recommend it to experienced riders and would definitely pack booties. Kiters launch downwind in the bay and stay upwind in the channel on the way out because of the current. The map shows the north-shore spots around Lajares.

Lanzarote: Famara

Famara is Lanzarote's main kite spot. The beach runs for more than 5 km along the north coast under the Famara cliffs. The wind blows from the north-east to north at an angle onto the beach (side-onshore), so after a crash it tends to push you back towards the sand. It's most consistent from May to September.

Waves and tide shape the rest of the session. Kiting belongs in the designated zone at the north-eastern end of the beach; check its boundaries on local signs and with a school. As the tide rises, the sand in this section shrinks back to the rocks and launch and landing space can disappear. Before heading out, check the actual beach width and how much space will remain when you return. Currents are strong. For lessons I'd choose low tide and have an instructor assess conditions that day.

As a beginner I'd only kite Famara with a school. If you already ride on your own but haven't tried waves, ask a local school to help you choose a day with smaller waves and enough space on shore. Caleta de Famara has schools, repairs and gear shops, and it's on the map as Caleta de Famara.

Tenerife: El Médano

El Médano is in the south of Tenerife, in Granadilla de Abona, close to Tenerife South (Reina Sofía) airport. The wind blows from the east and north-east, side or side-on to the beach. The bottom is sand and rocks. Expect intermediate to difficult conditions; beginners need supervision here, as they do at neighbouring La Tejita below the Montaña Roja volcano.

There's a designated area on the beach for setting up kites, and lifeguards are on duty. I'd arrange civil liability insurance along with travel insurance that covers kiting for any of the islands. El Médano is on the kite spot map.

Gran Canaria: Pozo Izquierdo

Pozo Izquierdo in south-east Gran Canaria is best known as a stop on the PWA windsurfing world tour. The model location near Pozo has the highest July average in the table, 17 knots (8.7 m/s). I wouldn't choose the main bay as a kite launch: Santa Lucía's municipal ordinance reserves it for windsurfing in winds of 10 knots (5.1 m/s) or more. It explicitly allows kitesurfing in the Las Salinas zone. Have a local school show you that zone's boundaries and the actual launch; a point on the kite spot map does not identify a permitted launch.

Which spot for which level

In the Canaries, both the shallow water and the launch space depend on the tide, at Sotavento and at Famara. The wide, shallow sandy lagoons I know best are in the Red Sea, where I go on kite safari. If you're still choosing between the Canaries and other Atlantic destinations, compare them with Morocco and Cape Verde. For trips further afield, I'd still choose kitesurfing spots around the world to suit my level.

Before you go

• The lagoon calendar for Sotavento and tide tables for Famara. Check the actual depth and space to launch and return on site too.
• Wetsuit. For Famara, a short 3/2 mm suit in summer and a full 4/3 mm from autumn to spring are starting points; adjust for conditions and how easily you get cold.
• Booties for rocky spots: Majanicho, El Médano.
• A smaller kite for summer at Sotavento and El Médano. The kite size calculator gives you an approximate size in m².
• Insurance that covers kiting, plus civil liability cover.
• Rescue arranged in advance wherever the wind blows off the land. Don't go out without a rescue craft and trained operator on the water, and someone on shore who knows you're riding.