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Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores & Cape Verde · Costa Teguise - Lanzarote · Costa Teguise

Las Cucharas

also known as Playa de las Cucharas, Lanzarote / Las Cucharas

flat waterbeginner-friendlyhigh 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 14 km · Playa Honda 14 km · La Santa Lagoon 18 km · La Graciosa 23 km · straight-line distance

SeasonApr to Septhe months riders and schools name How windy15-25 knotstrade Launchsmallaccess rules on record, below Watersheltered sandy bay with flat water and chop inside, reef waves outside20.6-22.7°C in summer · 6 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools6named at this spot From the airport20 minLanzarote Airport (ACE)

When it fills in

Trade wind, not a thermal, so it is often already blowing at breakfast and holds into the evening; it usually firms up through the middle of the day. Indicative — no hour-by-hour local pattern is published, and the crowd, not the wind, is what makes early morning and late afternoon the sensible slots.

Las Cucharas is the main beach of Costa Teguise, on Lanzarote's east coast, and the Alisios come in side-shore from the left: NNE, NE and ENE are the directions that work. April to September is the reliable stretch; winter still throws rideable trade days, but you cannot plan a week around them.

Inside the breakwaters the water runs flat to choppy, and the first 100 m off the sand can go soft and shifty because the resort blocks sit right behind the beach. Sail out past the shelter and the outer reef picks up swell, with waves of about 2-3 m when there is any. The wind is not the problem here.

The launch is a small patch of urban beach shared with swimmers and windsurfers, plus divers and school groups, so you rig in the accepted zone or you do not rig at all.

Beginners are fine in the bay with a school; on a strong day, with the reef working and the sand full, this is a poor place to learn zone discipline from scratch. If you can choose, take late April or September, when the trades are in and the beach is thinner than in July and August.

The wind

locals call it Alisios / northeast trade winds

Direction

cross-shoreNNE to NE

Kite sizes

67891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

fills in: Trade wind, not a thermal, so it is often already blowing at breakfast and holds into the evening; it usually firms up through the middle of the day. Indicative — no hour-by-hour local pattern is published, and the crowd, not the wind, is what makes early morning and late afternoon the sensible slots.

Typical strength

15-25 knots through the April-September season and 18-25 in high summer, with over 15 knots on more than 80% of days in that window. A reported in-season 4-6 Bft range works out at about 11-27 knots.

Generally consistent from April to September, and gusty close to shore, where the buildings break the flow and leave a wind shadow on the inside.

Trade winds are most consistent from April to September; winter is more changeable. The spot is sometimes called year-round, and rideable days do turn up outside the season, but April-September is the part you can plan on.

The quiver, in words

8-12 m

Direction to shore

side-shore from the left; NNE, NE and ENE are the recommended directions

Forecast

Month by month

Jan65
Feb74
Mar80
Apr, riders' month81
May, riders' month85
Jun, riders' month86
Jul, riders' month99
Aug, riders' month98
Sep, riders' month76
Oct63
Nov53
Dec58

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

13Jan20°
14Feb19°
15Mar19°
15Apr20°
15May21°
15Jun22°
17Jul23°
17Aug23°
13Sep23°
12Oct23°
12Nov22°
12Dec21°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	65%	13.1 kt	NE	18.2°C	20.3°C
Feb	74%	14 kt	NNE	18.1°C	19.2°C
Mar	80%	14.7 kt	NNE	18.4°C	19.2°C
Apr	81%	14.8 kt	NNE	19.7°C	20°C
May	85%	14.8 kt	N	20.4°C	20.6°C
Jun	86%	14.7 kt	N	22°C	22°C
Jul	99%	17.2 kt	N	23.3°C	22.7°C
Aug	98%	16.8 kt	NNE	24°C	23.2°C
Sep	76%	13.4 kt	NNE	23.2°C	23.2°C
Oct	63%	12.4 kt	NNE	23.2°C	23.2°C
Nov	53%	11.9 kt	NNE	21.5°C	22.3°C
Dec	58%	12.2 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

sheltered sandy bay with flat water and chop inside, reef waves outside

Standing depth

Flat sand inside the bay, chest-deep out to roughly the first 100 m off the beach — the same strip where the resort blocks steal the wind. Past that the bottom falls away toward the reef line.

Tides

Kiting conditions inside the bay reportedly do not depend on tide. Tide still changes what the water feels like, and it matters next door: the Los Charcos entry is rocky at low water and its wave works best about three hours either side of high.

Temperature

Summer 20.6-22.7 monthly averages from June to September

Winter 18.3-19.9 monthly averages from December to February

Wetsuit

3/2 mm most of the year, shorty or a thin summer suit in the warm months.

Currents

Currents are reported as a hazard, but no detailed pattern is published.

19–23°C water

Breakwaters shelter the bay. An outer shallow reef throws up waves of about 2-3 m when there is swell, while the first 100 m off the beach often sits lighter and flatter than the forecast suggests.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

The sheltered bay and the watersports infrastructure make it workable for a beginner with a school. On stronger days the outer chop, the reef waves and the traffic on a small launch mean you need to be riding independently and holding your upwind.

The scene

What riders come here for

beginnerfreerideflat waterbump and jumpreef waves

Busy resort-town watersports beach: schools, bars, rental stands and plenty of people who are not kiting.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

6 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: small

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Famara, 13 km

Famara Jameos del Agua Playa Honda

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

Rescue

Permanent lifeguards with a tower on Las Cucharas, and the windsurf centres keep two rescue boats on the water and ready while they are operating. Neither is kite-dedicated: the boats look after the centres' own students first.

Launch

Urban resort sand with a small reported launch and landing patch. Use the marked riding zones and keep clear of swimmers and windsurfers.

Space

small

Rules & access

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. Right of way follows the windsurf convention in the bay: starboard tack has priority and runs toward the beach, port tack gives way and heads out. In summer the schools buoy exit corridors through the swimming water; use them and give way to anyone coming in. Do not set up a conflict with windsurfers — position yourself upwind or downwind of them.

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

Rider tips

Rig only in the accepted kite area, and ask a school or a local rider where the zone runs this week before you pump.
Body-drag out and back in when the inner bay is busy or the wind shadow kills your board starts.
Wear booties if stones are exposed near the breakwaters.
Ride early morning or late afternoon, when the resort beach empties out.
Look at the outer reef before you go past the breakwaters: it holds waves of about 2-3 m in swell.
In July and August the water is saturated in the middle of the day. Go out before 11:00 or after 16:00.
Starboard tack has priority and goes in, port tack gives way and goes out. Windsurfers here expect you to know that.

Getting there

Airport

Lanzarote Airport (ACE)

Route

Las Cucharas is in central Costa Teguise, about 15 km from Lanzarote Airport by road.

Transfer

20 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Costa Teguise hotels and apartments in quantity, most of them within walking distance of the sand.

No-wind days

surfing and diving · SUP, kayaking and pedal boats · Costa Teguise promenade, bars and restaurants · Lanzarote cycling and hiking · Famara surf trips

Photos

Costa Teguise sunset, the spot's area — Miguel Mendez / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is it suitable for beginners?

Yes; the sheltered bay and watersports infrastructure support beginners, though outer chop and reef waves need confident riding on stronger days.

When is the best time?

April to September, when trade winds are most consistent.

Is there space to launch?

The launch is small and shared with swimmers and windsurfers, so riders should use the marked kite riding zones.

What are the hazards?

Rocks, stones, buoys and breakwaters are reported, along with gusty wind and a wind shadow close to shore caused by nearby buildings.

Are there rules?

Teguise's municipal beach-use regulation applies, and riders are expected to stay in the marked sport zones to avoid conflicts with other beach users.

Last updated: August 2026