Kitesurfing in Canary Islands
24 spots · 7 destinations · 44 schools
Twenty-four spots across five islands on the same Alisios, and the trade sector is narrow: north to north-east, so a beach facing the wrong way stays empty.
Sotavento on Fuerteventura is squeezed between the Jandía ridges and blows harder than the forecast you read at breakfast, over a tidal lagoon that does not fill every day. Flag Beach at Corralejo has taught kite since 1999 and is still no walk-in lagoon for an unsupervised first-timer. Gran Canaria is the hard end. Pozo Izquierdo runs 30 knots and gusty in summer, and at Salinas de Pozo you rig among boulders and get in over rock.
Canary Islands holds 24 kitesurf spots in our atlas, grouped into 7 destinations. Riding here is mostly flat water, waves and lagoons. Something is rideable here in every month of the year.
9 of them suits beginners. 44 schools operate in the region. The busiest areas are Famara - Lanzarote, Pozo Izquierdo - Gran Canaria and Corralejo - Fuerteventura.
When you may ride
the rules these spots carry, with the year on each
El Médano (South Bay / Playa Los Balos)El Médano - Tenerife20262026: A private rider needs no special permit; general non-commercial nautical use of the beaches requires no authorisation.
2026: A private rider needs no special permit; general non-commercial nautical use of the beaches requires no authorisation.
The whole rule, on the El Médano (South Bay / Playa Los Balos) page
FamaraFamara - Lanzarote20122012 Teguise beach ordinance: Famara has preferred and limited areas for surf schools, kite practice and fishing, plus exclusive bathing zones; bathers may use the kite, surf and fishing areas at their own responsibility, while the bathing zones are for swimmers only.
2012 Teguise beach ordinance: Famara has preferred and limited areas for surf schools, kite practice and fishing, plus exclusive bathing zones; bathers may use the kite, surf and fishing areas at their own responsibility, while the bathing zones are for swimmers only.
Flag BeachCorralejo - Fuerteventura20102010 La Oliva regulation: teaching surf, windsurf or kitesurf happens only in the municipality's two beach sports sectors, Piedra Playa at El Cotillo and Las Lajas de Punta Prieta at Corralejo, and every school pays the town hall an annual canon of EUR 3,000 per activity (2010).
2010 La Oliva regulation: teaching surf, windsurf or kitesurf happens only in the municipality's two beach sports sectors, Piedra Playa at El Cotillo and Las Lajas de Punta Prieta at Corralejo, and every school pays the town hall an annual canon of EUR 3,000 per activity (2010).
Pozo IzquierdoPozo Izquierdo - Gran Canaria2019has a date windowThe 2019 municipal beach ordinance of Santa Lucia de Tirajana, still the published text in 2026, divides the coast by zone and names kitesurfing explicitly.
The 2019 municipal beach ordinance of Santa Lucia de Tirajana, still the published text in 2026, divides the coast by zone and names kitesurfing explicitly.
Sotavento (Playa de Sotavento de Jandía)Sotavento - Fuerteventura20212021-2026: Pajara's beach-services concession lists kiteboarding in sports sectors D-6 (Barranco de Pecenescal / Risco del Paso) and D-7, D-8 and D-9 (Playa de Sotavento), each with a marked access and exit channel of 200 m by 20 m; signage in those channels prohibits bathing and shows the permitted uses.
2021-2026: Pajara's beach-services concession lists kiteboarding in sports sectors D-6 (Barranco de Pecenescal / Risco del Paso) and D-7, D-8 and D-9 (Playa de Sotavento), each with a marked access and exit channel of 200 m by 20 m; signage in those channels prohibits bathing and shows the permitted uses.
The whole rule, on the Sotavento (Playa de Sotavento de Jandía) page
Costa CalmaSotavento - Fuerteventura20212021 Pajara beach-services concession documents describe buoyed nautical and sports channels, with kitesurfing assigned to sports sectors D-6, D-7, D-8, D-9 at Playa de Sotavento and D-13 at Playa de Matas Blancas; D-10 and D-12 at Costa Calma are windsurf only, and D-12 also takes jet skis.
2021 Pajara beach-services concession documents describe buoyed nautical and sports channels, with kitesurfing assigned to sports sectors D-6, D-7, D-8, D-9 at Playa de Sotavento and D-13 at Playa de Matas Blancas; D-10 and D-12 at Costa Calma are windsurf only, and D-12 also takes jet skis.
El CabezoEl Médano - Tenerife20262026: El Medano uses marked navigation areas that separate teaching zones, freeride and intermediate areas, advanced wave and jump areas, and bathing and other-sport zones; the marked precaution and safety limit is to be respected.
2026: El Medano uses marked navigation areas that separate teaching zones, freeride and intermediate areas, advanced wave and jump areas, and bathing and other-sport zones; the marked precaution and safety limit is to be respected.
El CotilloCorralejo - Fuerteventura20262026: Kitesurfing at Piedra Playa is concentrated in a marked section of the beach, signposted with a large notice board, with surfing in the first and fourth sections and windsurfing in the third; no permit is listed for private riding there.
2026: Kitesurfing at Piedra Playa is concentrated in a marked section of the beach, signposted with a large notice board, with surfing in the first and fourth sections and windsurfing in the third; no permit is listed for private riding there.
Maspalomas (Punta de Maspalomas)Maspalomas - Gran Canaria20262026: riding is allowed only inside the marked kitesurf zone at Playa del Ingles/Maspalomas; the rest of the beach belongs to bathers and going outside the zone can bring a fine.
2026: riding is allowed only inside the marked kitesurf zone at Playa del Ingles/Maspalomas; the rest of the beach belongs to bathers and going outside the zone can bring a fine.
The whole rule, on the Maspalomas (Punta de Maspalomas) page
Playa de VargasPozo Izquierdo - Gran Canaria20182018 (Ordenanza reguladora del uso y disfrute de las playas de Aguimes, BOP Las Palmas no. 131, 31 October 2018): water sports that need conditions unsuited to bathing - surf, windsurf and the like - are permitted at the athlete's own risk, and must stop at once on a verbal order from officials or the beach-watch staff, or when the red flag is up.
2018 (Ordenanza reguladora del uso y disfrute de las playas de Aguimes, BOP Las Palmas no. 131, 31 October 2018): water sports that need conditions unsuited to bathing - surf, windsurf and the like - are permitted at the athlete's own risk, and must stop at once on a verbal order from officials or the beach-watch staff, or when the red flag is up.
Playa HondaPlaya Honda - Lanzarote20142014 (San Bartolome beach ordinance, definitive text as amended 8 October 2014): the municipality catalogues three beaches - Playa Honda 1, Playa Honda 2 and Guacimeta - all classed as free beaches usable for bathing, nautical sports and other recreation under the ordinance.
2014 (San Bartolome beach ordinance, definitive text as amended 8 October 2014): the municipality catalogues three beaches - Playa Honda 1, Playa Honda 2 and Guacimeta - all classed as free beaches usable for bathing, nautical sports and other recreation under the ordinance.
El BurreroPozo Izquierdo - Gran Canaria2026has a date window2026: lifeguard and surveillance service 1 July to 30 September, daily 11:00-19:00, with the sea-state flags flown only in that window.
2026: lifeguard and surveillance service 1 July to 30 September, daily 11:00-19:00, with the sea-state flags flown only in that window.
Jameos del AguaLanzarote2017Not an official kite spot. As of 2017 kiters were not well accepted by locals because this is a surf and windsurf break; no municipal rule is published either way.
Not an official kite spot. As of 2017 kiters were not well accepted by locals because this is a surf and windsurf break; no municipal rule is published either way.
La GraciosaLa Graciosa - Lanzarote20262026: the island is inside the Parque Natural del Archipielago Chinijo.
2026: the island is inside the Parque Natural del Archipielago Chinijo.
La ParedFuerteventura2026No kite-specific rule is posted for La Pared as of 2026, and no municipal rule is published either way.
No kite-specific rule is posted for La Pared as of 2026, and no municipal rule is published either way.
La Santa LagoonFamara - Lanzarote20262026: no kite-specific rule, launch corridor or navigation zone has been found for the lagoon. The lake is public maritime-terrestrial domain.
2026: no kite-specific rule, launch corridor or navigation zone has been found for the lagoon. The lake is public maritime-terrestrial domain.
La TejitaEl Médano - Tenerife20262026: no special permit is needed to kitesurf anywhere in Tenerife, but that general position does not make La Tejita a signed or designated kite zone; check the marked navigation areas, the other beach users and the safety measures on the day.
2026: no special permit is needed to kitesurf anywhere in Tenerife, but that general position does not make La Tejita a signed or designated kite zone; check the marked navigation areas, the other beach users and the safety measures on the day.
Las BurrasMaspalomas - Gran Canaria2026As of 2026, no municipal kitesurf permit or signed kite zone for Las Burras could be found.
As of 2026, no municipal kitesurf permit or signed kite zone for Las Burras could be found.
Las CucharasCosta Teguise - Lanzarote20262026: the municipal Regulation of the Use and Enjoyment of Beaches applies at Teguise, and riding zones are marked at Las Cucharas — a calmer inner zone for beginners and standard freeride, freestyle and slalom, with the reef ground outside it.
2026: the municipal Regulation of the Use and Enjoyment of Beaches applies at Teguise, and riding zones are marked at Las Cucharas — a calmer inner zone for beginners and standard freeride, freestyle and slalom, with the reef ground outside it.
Matas BlancasFuerteventura20262026, centre rules at Matas Bay, the watersports operation on the beach, which are the only rules anyone publishes for this bay: no kiting in more than Beaufort 7, about 28 knots; no kiting outside the supervised zone, which runs from the hill on the left-hand side to a white buoy roughly a kilometre out and the yellow Baywatch house on the right; rental requires VDWS level 5 or IKO level 3, meaning controlled upwind riding and a water relaunch; riders must be able to swim and be in reasonable physical condition.
2026, centre rules at Matas Bay, the watersports operation on the beach, which are the only rules anyone publishes for this bay: no kiting in more than Beaufort 7, about 28 knots; no kiting outside the supervised zone, which runs from the hill on the left-hand side to a white buoy roughly a kilometre out and the yellow Baywatch house on the right; rental requires VDWS level 5 or IKO level 3, meaning controlled upwind riding and a water relaunch; riders must be able to swim and be in reasonable physical condition.
Puerto LajasFuerteventura2026The Puerto del Rosario beach ordinance (built on the Ley de Costas, in force in 2026) puts bathing ahead of every other use.
The Puerto del Rosario beach ordinance (built on the Ley de Costas, in force in 2026) puts bathing ahead of every other use.
Punta Blanca (Majanicho)Corralejo - Fuerteventura20252025: La Oliva requires a municipal authorization (titulo habilitante) for commercial kite-school activity on its beaches, and police shut down kitesurfing at nearby El Marrajo under the municipal beach-use ordinance.
2025: La Oliva requires a municipal authorization (titulo habilitante) for commercial kite-school activity on its beaches, and police shut down kitesurfing at nearby El Marrajo under the municipal beach-use ordinance.
Salinas de PozoGran Canaria2026Santa Lucía de Tirajana's municipal beach ordinance, the version the town hall still publishes in 2026 (drafted 2019), names this water directly.
Santa Lucía de Tirajana's municipal beach ordinance, the version the town hall still publishes in 2026 (drafted 2019), names this water directly.
Each block is the opening of the record's own rule, kept in its own words. Where two postings do not line up, both are kept and neither is picked for you.
The winds here
what the spot records call the wind, and the knots they quote
Alisios
named by 21 spots here
No spot record quotes a knot range against this wind by name.
Northeast trade winds
named by 5 spots here
No spot record quotes a knot range against this wind by name.
Two or more spots name each of these here as well: Ne trade wind and Northeast trade wind. The knots a spot quotes for one of them are on that spot's own page.
The spots this region is known for
tier 1 of the 24 spots here
Destinations in Canary Islands
All spots in Canary Islands
Costa Calmamixed · beginner okEl BurreromixedEl CabezowavesEl CotillomixedEl Médano (South Bay / Playa Los Balos)mixed · beginner okFamarawaves · beginner okFlag Beachmixed · beginner okJameos del AguaseaLa Graciosamixed island conditions: exposed medium to big waves at Las Conchas and Lambra, with flatter sheltered options around Caleta de Sebo and lagoonsLa ParedseaLa Santa Lagoonlagoon · beginner okLa Tejitamixed · beginner okLas BurrasmixedLas Cucharassheltered sandy bay with flat water and chop inside, reef waves outside · beginner okMaspalomas (Punta de Maspalomas)mixedMatas Blancassea · beginner okPlaya de JinamarseaPlaya de VargaswavesPlaya HondamixedPozo IzquierdomixedPuerto LajasseaPunta Blanca (Majanicho)mixedSalinas de PozoseaSotavento (Playa de Sotavento de Jandía)mixed · beginner ok
Regions come from OpenStreetMap administrative boundaries; each spot page carries the record behind it. This list runs A to Z; the block above it is the tier order.
Last updated September 2026