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Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores & Cape Verde · La Graciosa - Lanzarote · Caleta de Sebo

La Graciosa

also known as La Graciosa / Playa las Conchas, La Graciosa / Playa Lambra, Caleta de Sebo

lagoonadvanced onlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Famara 13 km · Jameos del Agua 13 km · La Santa Lagoon 19 km · Las Cucharas 23 km · Playa Honda 33 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMay to Septhe months riders and schools name How windy9.5-13.2 knotstrade Launchbig at Playa las Conchas; remote beach launches vary by spotaccess rules on record, below Watermixed island conditions: exposed medium to big waves at Las Conchas and Lambra, with flatter sheltered options around Caleta de Sebo and lagoons20.7-22.9°C in summer · 8 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport70 minLanzarote Airport (ACE)

When it fills in

Trade wind, not a thermal. Modelled hourly means shift by barely a knot across the day, sagging slightly before dawn and topping out from mid-afternoon into the early evening. A morning that is blowing will still be blowing at six.

La Graciosa is the island north of Lanzarote, reached by ferry from Orzola, and all of it sits inside the protected Chinijo Archipelago. Several spots get listed: Playa las Conchas, Playa Lambra, Caleta de Sebo, a lagoon and El Salao.

Las Conchas is the one with any real documentation, an expert wave beach with strong current and medium to big waves; Playa Lambra is remote, straight into the northeast trades, and no easier. The trades funnel through the gap between the Risco de Famara and the island and can arrive far stronger than the forecast suggested.

Getting to the launch is part of the day: general vehicle traffic does not run on the tracks, and Las Conchas is about 3.6 km on foot or by bike from the village. The beaches may have no rescue service at all, the northern ones in particular.

Water runs 20.7-22.9 C from June to September, so a shorty covers the warm months. Come if you want a self-sufficient day with your own gear and your own plan; if you want a school beach or someone watching the water, stay on Lanzarote.

The wind

locals call it Alisios / northeast trade winds

Direction

cross-on

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

fills in: Trade wind, not a thermal. Modelled hourly means shift by barely a knot across the day, sagging slightly before dawn and topping out from mid-afternoon into the early evening. A morning that is blowing will still be blowing at six.

Typical strength

No station on the island. Modelled hourly winds for 2019-2024 put the monthly mean at 9.5-13.2 knots and more than half of all hours above 12 knots from May to August, with July the peak at about 72% of hours over that line and September and October the flattest at 31% and 27%. Those are open-sea numbers: the funnel between the Risco de Famara and the island delivers more than that on the exposed beaches, so treat them as a floor rather than a forecast.

The trades accelerate between the Risco de Famara and La Graciosa and can be far stronger than the number you left home with. On the remote beaches there is nothing upwind to soften them.

The season conflict has a modelled answer. Hourly data for 2019-2024 make July and August the windiest months by a wide margin, roughly 72% and 63% of hours over 12 knots, with May and June close behind at 53% and 49%, and September and October the two flattest of the year at 31% and 27%.

That supports the May-to-August trade-wind window and argues against the September-to-March season that also circulates for the island. Monthly means stay between 9.5 and 13.2 knots all year, so it is a matter of frequency, not of the wind disappearing.

The quiver, in words

Indicative, derived from the wind range rather than from local reporting: a 75-85 kg rider is on 9-12 m on an ordinary trade day and 7-9 m in July and August or whenever the funnel between Famara and the island is switched on. Wave gear for Las Conchas.

Direction to shore

mostly side-shore to side-onshore at the reported kite beaches, varying by beach orientation

Dominant direction

N to NE. Of modelled hours over 12 knots in 2019-2024, about 62% came from the north and 28% from the northeast, so the trade sector is narrow and predictable.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan70
Feb74
Mar73
Apr83
May, riders' month80
Jun, riders' month81
Jul, riders' month97
Aug, riders' month96
Sep, riders' month76
Oct56
Nov56
Dec66

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

14Jan20°
14Feb19°
14Mar19°
14Apr20°
14May20°
14Jun22°
15Jul21°
15Aug22°
13Sep23°
12Oct23°
12Nov22°
13Dec21°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	70%	13.8 kt	NE	18.2°C	20.3°C
Feb	74%	14.1 kt	NNE	17.9°C	19.2°C
Mar	73%	14.2 kt	NNE	17.8°C	18.9°C
Apr	83%	14.3 kt	N	18.7°C	19.8°C
May	80%	13.9 kt	NNE	19.6°C	19.8°C
Jun	81%	14.2 kt	N	21.1°C	21.5°C
Jul	97%	15.3 kt	NNE	22.2°C	21.3°C
Aug	96%	15.2 kt	NNE	23°C	22.2°C
Sep	76%	12.8 kt	NNE	22.7°C	22.7°C
Oct	56%	11.7 kt	NNE	22.5°C	23.3°C
Nov	56%	12.1 kt	NE	21.3°C	22.3°C
Dec	66%	13.2 kt	NE	19.3°C	21.2°C

modelled

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

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

mixed island conditions: exposed medium to big waves at Las Conchas and Lambra, with flatter sheltered options around Caleta de Sebo and lagoons

Tides

Semidiurnal and, unlike the Mediterranean, worth planning around: two highs and two lows a day, with the nearest predicted station on Lanzarote swinging about 2.6-2.7 m at springs and near 1 m at neaps. There is no station on La Graciosa itself, so the figures are the neighbouring island's.

Temperature

Summer 20.7-22.9 monthly averages from June to September

Winter 18.3-20.1 monthly averages from December to February

Wetsuit

shorty or thin summer wetsuit in warm months; full wetsuit or thicker shorty may be useful in winter

Currents

Strong current at Playa las Conchas, and dangerous current at the remote Playa Lambra.

19–23°C water

The north and west beaches take Atlantic swell and are a long way from anyone. The beaches, the northern ones in particular, may have no rescue service.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Playa las Conchas is an expert spot, for the size of the waves and the current; Playa Lambra is remote and for experienced riders. Caleta de Sebo and the lagoon may be calmer, but beginner suitability there is unconfirmed.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridewavesadventureremote riding

A small harbour village and empty beaches. It fills a little around the day-trip ferries.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: big at Playa las Conchas; remote beach launches vary by spot

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Famara, 13 km

Famara Jameos del Agua La Santa Lagoon

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

No beach rescue service is stated anywhere for the island. At Las Conchas, help is a long way off.

Launch

Riding starts from Caleta de Sebo. Playa las Conchas is reached on a marked walking and cycling route of about 3.6 km from the village rather than by general vehicle traffic; Playa Lambra is further out and reached the same way.

Space

big at Playa las Conchas; remote beach launches vary by spot

Hazards riders report 8

strong currents, especially at Playa de las Conchas (a popular but dangerous-current swimming/tourist beach)
unpaved roads and very limited vehicle access on the island
remote - no significant rescue infrastructure
Strong currents at Playa las Conchas.
Medium to big waves at exposed north and west beaches.
Remote beaches with no or seasonal lifeguard/rescue service.
Limited island roads and vehicle access; reaching launches may require walking, cycling or authorized taxi/4x4 transport.
Protected natural area with sensitive flora, fauna and marine habitats.

Rules & access

2026: the island is inside the Parque Natural del Archipielago Chinijo. Respect the flora and fauna, stay on the paths, use the authorised cycling routes, take your rubbish out, get authorisation before camping, and expect beaches with no rescue service.

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

Rider tips

Treat Las Conchas and Lambra as self-sufficient sessions, not school beaches: repair kit, water and a phone, plus someone who knows where you went.
Check the last ferry back before you rig. The Orzola crossing is 25 minutes and the timetable ends your day.
Walk or cycle the marked route, about 3.6 km from Caleta de Sebo to Las Conchas, and stay on the authorised tracks.
Assume no rescue on the north beaches and ride well inside your limit.
Rig on sand, not on vegetation. The island is a natural park and even camping needs authorisation.

Getting there

Airport

Lanzarote Airport (ACE)

Route

From Lanzarote Airport drive or taxi to Orzola, then take the ferry to Caleta de Sebo. The Orzola to Caleta de Sebo crossing is 25 minutes; the airport to Orzola taxi runs about 45 minutes.

Transfer

70 min

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

Small guesthouses and apartments around Caleta de Sebo. Plenty of riders sleep on Lanzarote and come over by ferry.

No-wind days

walking and cycling authorized island tracks · beach visits to La Francesa, El Salado and Las Conchas · snorkeling or diving when conditions are safe · boat trips in the Chinijo Archipelago · Lanzarote north-coast sightseeing

Photos

volcanic island landscape characteristic of La Graciosa, 444m — Fry72 (Karel Frydrýšek) / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at La Graciosa?

May to September is most commonly cited, though one source instead names September to March, so check current forecasts before planning a trip.

Is La Graciosa suitable for beginners?

No, the main kite beaches are for experienced riders only: Playa las Conchas has big waves and strong current, and Playa Lambra is remote and reserved for experienced kitesurfers.

What hazards should riders know about?

Strong currents at Las Conchas, medium to big waves at exposed beaches, limited island roads, and little to no rescue infrastructure are all reported.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

The island sits within the Parque Natural del Archipiélago Chinijo, so riders must stay on authorized paths and tracks and respect protected flora and fauna.

Last updated: August 2026