Map › Spain › Sotavento - Fuerteventura › Matas Blancas

Islas Canarias · Fuerteventura · Costa Calma

Matas Blancas

also known as Matas Bay, Matas Blancas Bay, Matas Bay - El Rancho Beach

beginner-friendlymedium 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 Costa Calma 4 km · La Pared 5 km · Sotavento (Playa de Sotavento de Jandía) 12 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMar to Septhe months riders and schools name How windy15 knotsmixed Launchdepends on tideaccess rules on record, below Watersea22-24°C in summer · 6 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools6named at this spot From the airport55 minFuerteventura Airport (FUE)

When it fills in

picks up in the morning and peaks around noon

Matas Blancas is a flat-water bay on Fuerteventura's southeast coast, just north of Costa Calma, sandy bottom, water clear enough to see it, good for freeride and freestyle. The wind is north, which here means side-offshore to cross-offshore. Riding it alone with nothing behind you is the mistake to avoid.

It usually blows from 15 knots and gets well past that in summer, picking up through the morning and topping out around noon. May to September is the consistent stretch, inside a broader March to October trade-wind season. Beginners do learn here, but through the on-site school with boat or jetski cover, not off their own back.

High tide eats the sand and leaves gritty stones to park a kite on, so carry sandbags. It has more around it than the Gran Canaria launches: school, rental, shade, showers.

The wind

locals call it alisios

Direction

cross-offNwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: picks up in the morning and peaks around noon

Typical strength

usually from 15 knots and can get strong; broader Fuerteventura high-season trade winds often exceed 20 knots

Often strong summer wind; stronger wind can become gustier, while off-season onshore days are less gusty.

Spring and summer are best. May to September is most consistent; the broader best wind season runs March/April to October with a June-to-September peak.

The quiver, in words

Indicative, derived from the published wind rather than a local log: with the bay usually blowing from 15 knots and the on-site ceiling set at Beaufort 7 (about 28 knots), a 75-85 kg rider covers most days with a 9 m for the lighter mornings and a 7 m once the afternoon fills in.A 5 m is worth having in the June-to-September peak. No station on the bay means nobody has published a size table for it.

Direction to shore

side-offshore to cross-offshore

Forecast

Month by month

Jan67
Feb79
Mar, riders' month69
Apr, riders' month87
May, riders' month82
Jun, riders' month98
Jul, riders' month96
Aug, riders' month90
Sep, riders' month80
Oct63
Nov44
Dec61

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

13Jan20°
14Feb19°
14Mar20°
15Apr20°
15May21°
16Jun22°
17Jul23°
16Aug24°
13Sep23°
12Oct24°
11Nov22°
13Dec21°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	67%	12.8 kt	E	18.8°C	20.3°C
Feb	79%	13.9 kt	N	18.9°C	19.4°C
Mar	69%	14.1 kt	N	19.1°C	19.6°C
Apr	87%	14.9 kt	N	20.2°C	20.2°C
May	82%	14.9 kt	N	20.9°C	21.2°C
Jun	98%	16.3 kt	N	22.2°C	22.3°C
Jul	96%	16.9 kt	N	23.6°C	23.1°C
Aug	90%	15.8 kt	N	24.5°C	23.6°C
Sep	80%	13.4 kt	N	23.7°C	23.4°C
Oct	63%	12.1 kt	N	23.9°C	23.5°C
Nov	44%	11 kt	NNE	22.4°C	22.4°C
Dec	61%	12.5 kt	E	19.9°C	21.3°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

sea

Standing depth

Very shallow bay.

Tides

All tides work for Matas Blancas; high tide leaves little sand and rough gritty stones for kite parking. The nearby lagoon used as an alternative is only navigable at high tide around 3/4 to full moon.

Temperature

22-24°C summer · 17-20°C winter

Wetsuit

Shorty or 2 mm top in warm late-summer water and windy sessions; 3/2 mm full suit for the coldest February water.

19–24°C water

Clear flat-water bay with sandy bottom and side-off to offshore wind. There are also choppy areas and small gritty stones at high tide.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Conditions and courses run for every level, including beginners in the calm flat water. More conservative guidance puts it at intermediate to professional, with beginners needing lessons under boat or jetski support. Unresolved.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridefreestyleflat waterwakestylewing foilwindsurf

Organized watersports-center flat-water spot with facilities, lessons and rescue; it can get crowded with kitesurfers and windsurfers.

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: depends on tide

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Costa Calma, 4 km

Costa Calma La Pared Sotavento (Playa de Sotavento de Jandía)

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

Rescue

Jetski rescue runs off the watersports centre on the beach, four skis reported, and it is a paid service rather than a public one: around 20 EUR a pickup, 50 EUR for three pickups across a stay, 100 EUR if you are on your own gear with no service package, and included with rentals of five days or more.

Lifeguard cover is on the beach. A walk-up rider who has booked nothing has nothing behind them, which in side-offshore to cross-offshore wind is the whole argument for booking.

Launch

Sandy bay launch at Matas Blancas/Matas Bay north of Costa Calma; at high tide there may be little sand and kites are parked on gritty stones with sandbags.

Space

depends on tide

Rules & access

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.

Helmet and impact vest are recommended, not compulsory, and the centre states it accepts no responsibility for accidents. Opening is 10:00-17:30 in summer and 09:30-16:30 in winter.

2026: no Pajara municipal or Canary Islands regional ordinance specific to kitesurfing at Matas Blancas was located.

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

Rider tips

Book through the centre if you are learning or not solid in offshore wind; there is no standalone rescue for walk-ups.
Pack small kites for summer, it starts at 15 knots and climbs.
Carry sandbags: at high tide there is barely any sand and the stones are gritty.
Ride the middle of the day, the wind builds through the morning and peaks around noon.
Check the bay's webcam or the Sotavento-area forecast before driving down from Costa Calma.

Getting there

Airport

Fuerteventura Airport (FUE)

Route

Drive south on Fuerteventura toward Costa Calma/Matas Blancas. Costa Calma is about 62-65 km from Fuerteventura Airport, roughly 54-60 minutes by car, with bus options also available.

Transfer

55 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Costa Calma is the nearest resort base, with hotels and apartments, and there is lodging closer to the bay as well.

No-wind days

SUP · snorkeling · swimming · surfing at La Pared or nearby beaches · Costa Calma · Punta Jandía lighthouse · Villa Winter · Oasis Park / La Lajita

Photos

Costa Calma - panoramio (3) — MrPepanos, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is it suitable for beginners?

Beginners can learn through the on-site school, but unsupervised beginners should treat the offshore wind as a serious limitation.

What is the wind like?

The useful wind is north, usually from 15 knots and often exceeding 20 knots in high season, peaking around noon.

When is the best time?

May to September is the most consistent period within a broader March-to-October Fuerteventura wind season.

Are there schools or rescue cover?

Matas Bay Watersports runs lessons on site with lifeguard cover and jet-ski rescue support.

What are the hazards?

At high tide little sand remains and kites get parked on gritty stones, so bring sandbags and expect rougher footing.

Last updated: August 2026