Canary Islands Tourism Guide - Canaries Surfing & Windsurfing

Lanzarote Windsurfing and Surfing

Watersports fanatics will be in heaven on the beaches of Lanzarote. Windsurfers head to Costa Teguise and Papagayo. Kite surfers and surfers check out the waves at Famara. For an excellent choice of diving excursions head to Puerto del Carmen and Puerto Calero.

There's a few surfing hotspots in Lanzarote. The top surfing hotspot in the eyes of many is Famara Beach near pretty fishing village Caleta de Famara. It's still low key round this area, with a bohemian air, and mostly apartments and self catering accommodation - no big resort hotels here. Famara beach is glorious, flanked by cliffs and offering superb breaks for both the experienced and beginners. There's no shortage of surf schools, surf equipment hire venues and indeed surf clothing shops here. Even if you're not staying in Famara, if you've car hire on Lanzarote you'll most certainly want to visit Famara beach at least once.

Other Lanzarote surfing hotspots include the La Santa area which offers pretty good waves all year round too. Like Famara, it's low key up here with a scattering of restaurants, ample parking facilities and surf shops/schools and supermarkets - but we're not talking full blown resorts. Near La Santa is also Caleta de Caballo which also has good surfing conditions.

Surfing visitors to Lanzarote will also be familiar with the excellent surfing conditions (and beautiful beaches) of La Graciosa isle just to the north west of Lanzarote (see La Graciosa boat trip sections on this website for details on how to get there!). On La Graciosa's western side is the sublime Playa de las Conchas beach with its renowned left hand reef break. Unmissible for surfers on Lanzarote! You're not finished there either, as beaches around Orzola to the north, and around Jameos, El Cartel, Punta Mujeres and La Garita near Arrieta - all along the eastern coast of Lanzarote get superb waves and offer uncrowded beaches. The El Golfo coastline to the south west of Lanzarote is also opening up nicely for surfers.

Gran Canaria Boat Trips, Sailing, Surfing and Windsurfing

A particular favourite watersport on Gran Canaria is sailing - several sailing champions have hailed from the island. Sailing centres abound in sailing hotspots like Las Palmas, Puerto Rico, Puerto de Mogan, Arguineguin and Pasito Blanco. Puerto Rico particularly offers numerous sailing and boat trip opportunities for holidaymakers. Windsurfing hotspots on Gran Canaria include Las Canteras beach at Las Palmas, the island's capital. They get good winds and some nice surfing waves here too. Gran Canaria's top windsurfing hub is Pozo Isquierdo just south of Vecindario and Playa de Vargas where the big windsurfing grand prix is held annually. There's plenty of lower key, beginner oriented windsurfing to be had around Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogan!

Surfers and bodyboarders need to head north around the Galdar area and on the northern coast towards Las Palmas. There's some good beginner surfer waves at Las Canteras beach in Las Palmas too. Diving excursions are numerous and easilly accessed from Gran Canaria's main resorts. Diving hotspots include Arinaga and the protected Playa del Cabron and El Cabron Marine Reserve.

Fuerteventura Windsurfing and Surfing

Top windsurfing (and kite surfing) locations on Fuerteventura include El Cotillo and some at Corralejo to the north, around Costa Calma, particularly Playa de Sotavento and Playa de Esquinzo and a few at Caleta de Fuste, Fuerteventura's largest resort. The top windsurfing and kitesurfing spot has to be Sotavento - the winds are strongest here. However, beaches around El Cotillo are lesser known, and certainly catching up! Checkout Flag Beach Windsurf And Kitesurf Centre, General Linares 31, 35660 Corralejo, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain. Tel: 00 34 928 866 389.

Surfing hotspots on Fuerteventura are focused on the north and some to the west of the island, with some good surfing schools based at Corralejo and surrounds. Surf hotspots include Playa de Majanicho and Caleta del Barco to the north near Corralejo, Playa Bajo Negro on the east coast near Corralejo, over to the west at Los Caletones and Paso Chico, down at Sotavento to the south and indeed around El Cotillo in the north. For a good surf shop and surf board maker checkout Northshore Surf Shop and Factory, Fuerteventura, ES-35650 Lajares. Tel 928 86 83 21.

Tenerife Windsurfing and Surfing

El Medano and El Cabezo Bay and beach is a well known windsurfing hotspot amongst the windsurfing scene - it's a World Cup Windsurfing beach this one. El Medano has a bohemian edge, with a choice of chic clothes shops, surf shops, bars and restaurants. El Medano on Tenerife is particularly favoured by intermediate and advanced windsurfers - and advanced kite surfers who can deal with dodging the many windsurfers and the rocks positioned at the end of the bays.

What's more, El Medano has two windsurfing sailing areas either side of its character harbour, promenade and jetty. It's also situated just 5 minutes from Tenerife South Airport, has one of the best markets on Tenerife (weekly on Saturday mornings) and a delightful selection of surf shops, chic clothes shops and trendy bars and restaurants. (fresh fish on the Costa Silencio coastal stretch is also another highlight - most of the locations on this coastline started life as Tenerife fishing villages.

The most experienced windsurfers head out to the North Bay area of El Medano. You'll find more intermediates on its south bay area. It's not just the superb windsurfing conditions you have here, there's also a bit of a windsurfing scene which has evolved over the years making for some great evening gatherings in the town centre and a live music and bar scene to beat all! A fair bit of funding has poured into locations like El Medano on Tenerife in recent years and it shows. Checkout the pretty timber boardwalk here, plus various bits of public art.

El Medano is up there is Sotavento and other windsurfing and kitesurfing hotspots on Fuerteventura. There are two main windsurfing equipment hire outlets here, including the Fanatic Fun Factory on North Bay, and another on Playa Sur.