Spotreview
I windsurfed following spots: Glass Beach,
Flag Beach, Punta Blanca, Sotavento and one typical local spot.
Conditions were all very
different, but generally one sails over reefs... (keep it in mind!)
Glass Beach is famous by most
waveriding windsurfers and by surfers too. It is a pointbreak wave that
can offer about 3 or 4 bottom turns and enough power for airs... I
sailed there both on flat days and in 3 metre waves. Winds are usually
light cross-side shore form left (10-15kn). The higher the swell gets,
the further from the reef the waves break... so in small swell better
search for an other place unless you have a fin-sponsorship-contract...
Big disadvantage of Glass Beach is the crowds!!! Unfortunatelly, both
windsurfers and surfers steal waves and tend to get aggressive.
Flag Beach has a sandy beach and is
great for freestylers if there is wind... The local Fanatic centre rents
and sells the neccessary equipment.
Punta Blanca is some scarry shit!
At low tide the reef gets very shallow and downwind there are pointy
rocks waiting for your expensive equipment! I had one great session here
with my friends. Wind come from the right (up to 5Bft) and is
cross-onshore. There are two different dirt-roads to Punta Blanca:
trough El Cotillo or Majanicho. Great for your rally-racing skills, but
don't break down your car over there!
Once, I tried Sotavento with 5,0 on my 96 litres board. The
wind is gusty, strong and offshore and there are no waves. Besides that,
the place is one big German circus... you have to like it...
The local spot is on the east coast
and where I had my best sessions: the first time in the middle of the
bay with very light sideshore winds, only for waveriding... the second
time with 5,7 sail (powered-up) again with sideshore wind and good waves
up to 2 metres at the right side. Absolutely great!!! First-ever
Backloop landed, good waverides and only about 5 other windsurfers
around. This places is like heaven... however some years ago some
agressive locals scared away larger groups of tourist windsurfers, so
behave and enjoy!!!
Surfspots to check are El Cotillo,
Esquinzo and La Pared (near Sotavento). Be aware of the crowds during
the summer...
Fuerte Northshore has some famous and
notorious big-wave surfspots (reefbreaks), like Majanicho. Normally, the
Northshore works best in wintertime.
Gran Canaria offered some fun at Vargas,
where I sailed with friends. Winds for 4,5 up to 5,7, however no waves,
only chop...
