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Famara

Canary Islands · Famara - Lanzarote · Las Palmas · Caleta de Famara

also known as Caleta de Famara, Playa de Famara

Part of Famara, Lanzarote →

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wavesbeginner-friendlyhigh crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Mar–Sep

Months riders and schools name

How windy

12-35 knots

Character: trade

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

waves

21–23 °C in summerOpen Atlantic sandy beachbreak, with bolos, the rounded volcanic stones, along parts of it

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Mar Apr May Jun

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Manrique-Lanzarote Airport (ACE)

Transfer times under Getting there

On the clock

09:00 · 10:00 · 14:00 · 19:00

The trade wind blows day and night in season, but it is not flat across the day. It starts reinforcing around 09:00-10:00, the strongest and steadiest stretch runs from roughly 14:00 to 19:00, and it eases back overnight. Mornings that look thin on the water often fill in by lunchtime.

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Las Cucharas (Costa Teguise)
Costa Teguise / Los Charcosno page yet
Arrietano page yet
Matagordano page yet
La Santano page yet

The spot

Famara is Lanzarote's kite beach: open Atlantic under the Risco de Famara cliffs, immediately north of Caleta de Famara. It is a wave spot before it is anything else, with sandy beachbreak, strong surf and real ocean current, and no lagoon anywhere in it. The wind you want is the Alisios trade from N to NE/NNE, normally cross-on to cross-shore, most dependable in late spring and summer.

Tides and learning

Schools work the low-tide beach because low water hands you far more sand and a much lower launch risk; at high tide the kite zone gets narrow and stony. Supervised beginners do fine here. Independent novices have to pick their tide, their swell size and their day. Caleta is one of the island's surf villages, so beds, food and repairs are easy by Lanzarote standards, and the beach runs on posted use zones, flags and lifeguards that are not decoration.

The wind

locals call it Los Alisios trade winds

Direction

cross-onN to NE/NNE

Direction to shore

cross-on

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Around 18 kt is the standard summer trade day, which puts a 75-85 kg rider on 9-10 m for most of the season. A 12 m covers the 12-15 kt days and the lighter winter spells; 7 m is the one you want on 25 kt-plus afternoons. The usual span carried here is 6-12 m.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Typical strength

12-35 knots in the main spring/summer trade-wind season; about 18 knots is reported on many summer days.

Generally steady in the trade-wind season; less predictable outside spring and summer.

The wind season most often given is spring through late summer, and kiting is possible at any time of year, with the wind most constant and favourable between May and September. Published envelopes do not agree: March-August, April-August, May-September and March to mid-September all appear, so May-August is the strongest overlap for a wind-focused trip.

Winter still works, less reliably and far more swell-driven.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

12 ktJan19°
13 ktFeb18°
13 ktMar18°
13 ktApr18°
13 ktMay19°
14 ktJun21°
15 ktJul21°
14 ktAug22°
12 ktSep23°
11 ktOct22°
12 ktNov21°
12 ktDec20°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep).

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid, not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	12 kt	N	16.1 °C	18.9 °C
Feb	12.5 kt	N	16.1 °C	18.3 °C
Mar	12.5 kt	N	17.2 °C	18.3 °C
Apr	12.8 kt	N	17.8 °C	18.3 °C
May	12.9 kt	N	18.9 °C	19.4 °C
Jun	13.5 kt	N	20.6 °C	20.6 °C
Jul	15 kt	N	22.2 °C	21.1 °C
Aug	14.1 kt	N	22.8 °C	22.2 °C
Sep	11.6 kt	N	22.8 °C	22.8 °C
Oct	10.6 kt	N	21.7 °C	22.2 °C
Nov	11.5 kt	N	19.4 °C	21.1 °C
Dec	11.9 kt	N	17.2 °C	20 °C

How this is modelledmodelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

Teguise · Weatherspark (MERRA-2 reanalysis model)

The water

Type

waves

Standing depth

At low tide there is a wide belt of shallow, calm pooled water along the shore where you can stand and work on water starts for a long way out.That belt shrinks through the flood; at high water the sand under it is gone in places and the shorebreak lands on rounded volcanic stones.Beyond the inside belt this is open Atlantic beachbreak, not a standing-depth spot.

Tides

Low to mid tide is the working window, and it is what beginner lessons are scheduled around. At low water - vacia in island usage - the sand pushes far out and long shallow pools form along the shore, giving space to rig, walk out and body-drag.As the tide fills, the beach narrows fast, the sea reaches the callaos in places, and the northern kite area can lose most of its sandy launch.

Temperature

21–23 °C summer · 17–18 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 18–23 °C

Wetsuit

Wetsuit normally used year-round: shorty/thin summer suit in summer, 3/2 or 4/3 in winter depending on wind chill.

Currents

Powerful ocean currents and rip/current pockets are reported; wave days can produce back currents out to sea.

Conditions

Open Atlantic sandy beachbreak, with bolos, the rounded volcanic stones, along parts of it.

Several wave peaks work through the bay, stronger in the deeper sections, and the shorebreak changes quickly with swell and tide. Strong waves and powerful currents are on the record here, so a bathing flag tells you nothing about whether the kite zone is sensible.

Low tide creates the safest beach space for lessons; high tide makes the launch much tighter near the kite zone.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Beginners are commonly taught here, but the safe beginner window is low to mid tide with school supervision. Independent beginners should not read 'sandy beach' as easy: onshore/cross-on wind, shorebreak, waves, current, and a tight high-tide launch raise the risk. Intermediates and advanced riders get the most from the wave riding and open-water conditions.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridewavesflat watersurf-town base

Who it suitsbeginnerlessons

Active surf-and-kite village with many schools, apartments, surf houses, bars, and restaurants; relaxed but not remote in season.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

10 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

5 spots nearby

All 5 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

2026: municipal beach watch infrastructure at Famara now runs to three standalone watchtowers plus first-aid huts used as lifeguard bases, a flag system with multilingual signage, and a rescue team equipped with a 4x4 and a jet ski; a further advanced post at the Caleta de Famara jetty was announced in February 2026.

There is still no kite-specific rescue boat, and lifeguard cover is oriented to the bathing zones, so self-rescue ability remains the real safety net. Emergencies go through 112.

Launch

The usable kite launch is in the northern/north-eastern kite area away from the village, not the whole bay. Low tide gives a very wide sandy beach launch; high tide can leave a narrow strip of rounded stones near parked vehicles.

Hazards riders report 13 reported

Crowds and zones

Red flag bathing conditions are common; a 2026 severe kitesurf accident at Famara confirms real consequence risk.

Bottom

The northern kite area has stones/bolos at the beach edge

Waves and currents

Atlantic groundswell/shorebreak on bigger days
current pockets
Strong Atlantic waves and shorebreak, especially on bigger swell days
Powerful ocean currents and possible rip/back currents
High tide can remove the sandy launch in the kite zone and force launches near rounded stones and parked vehicles
Onshore to cross-on wind can make getting out through shorebreak difficult for beginners

Protected areas and rules

Beach users share the broader beach; the ordinance allows bathers to use kite/surf/fishing zones at their own responsibility while bathing zones are exclusive

Other

marine debris (the coast collects North Atlantic garbage-patch litter)
Marine litter can accumulate on this Atlantic-facing coast
At high water the sand disappears in places and the sea reaches the callaos, the rounded volcanic boulders at the back of the beach
The 600 m Famara cliff sits immediately upwind of the beach and also launches paragliders and hang gliders over it

Rules & access

1 min read

Zones and rules

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. 2012: shore fishing at El Rincon is permitted only between 18:00 and 08:00.

Fines

2012 fines: minor up to EUR 750, serious up to EUR 1,500, very serious up to EUR 3,000.

Current setup

2026: every Teguise beach runs a flag system with specific multilingual signage, and Famara now carries three watchtowers plus first-aid huts used as lifeguard bases - follow the posted zones, the flags and lifeguard instructions. 2026: no permit or licence requirement was found for private recreational kiting, as distinct from school operation.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Ride low to mid tide for a first session, especially while learning or when the swell is up.
Walk to the signed northern/north-eastern kite area instead of launching near bathers or surf-school groups by the village.
Read the swell as well as the wind; a workable wind forecast can still be a poor beginner day if the beachbreak is heavy.
Do not count on kite-specific boat rescue. Keep self-rescue margin and stay off the water alone in marginal conditions.
Bring at least a shorty or thin wetsuit in summer and a warmer full suit for winter wind chill.
Book accommodation early for May-September if you want to stay in Caleta de Famara and walk to the beach.
Wait for the afternoon. Mornings often look weak and the wind fills in from about 10:00.
Go and look at the beach at high water before you commit: the piece of sand you rigged on at low tide may not exist when you come in.

Getting there

Airport

Lanzarote Airport / Cesar Manrique-Lanzarote Airport (ACE)

Route

By car or taxi the airport to Caleta de Famara run is about 25 km and roughly 23-30 minutes. There is no direct airport bus: services go via Arrecife or Teguise, IntercityBus serves Caleta de Famara, and a 2026 airport-to-Famara routing on lines 22 and 20 takes about 1h50m.

Transfer (minutes)

23-30 by car/taxi; about 110 by bus from the airport in the Rome2Rio 2026 routing

Cost level

medium

Staying

Caleta de Famara has surf apartments, surf houses/camps, and Famara bungalows; accommodation is limited enough that early booking is recommended in windy season.

No-wind days

Surf at Famara, SUP, yoga, wingfoil at other Lanzarote spots, Teguise village, La Graciosa views, Mirador del Rio, volcanic walks, wine country around La Geria, and island tours.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Famara?

The trade-wind season runs roughly March to September, with May to August the strongest overlap for consistent wind.

Is Famara suitable for beginners?

Schools do teach beginners here, but mainly around low to mid tide when the beach is wide; at high tide the launch narrows to stones and waves and current raise the risk for independent learners.

What is the wind like?

The Alisios trade wind blows N to NE/NNE, cross-on to cross-shore, typically 12-35 knots in season with 6-12 m kites commonly used.

Are there hazards to know about?

Atlantic shorebreak, powerful currents and rip pockets are reported, and there is no dedicated kite rescue boat, so self-rescue ability matters.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, several schools operate in Caleta de Famara, including Red Star Surf & Kite School, Lanzarote Kite and VolcanoKite.

The bigger pictureEverything about Famara - Lanzarote

Last updated: August 2026