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Islas Canarias · Gran Canaria · Jinámar

Playa de Jinamar

also known as Playa de Jinamar, Playa de Jinámar, Jinamar, Jinámar

advanced onlylow crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby El Burrero 14 km · Playa de Vargas 21 km · Pozo Izquierdo 23 km · Salinas de Pozo 25 km · Las Burras 35 km · Maspalomas (Punta de Maspalomas) 37 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMay to Septhe months riders and schools name How windyunder Typical strength, belowtrade Launchmediumno access rules on record Watersea22-24°C in summer · 13 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools4named at this spot From the airport13 minGran Canaria Airport (LPA)

When it fills in

The trades do not switch off overnight. June to August the wind is already near its daily average before dawn, stiffens through the late morning, and is strongest from mid-afternoon into the early evening; the gap between the quietest hour and the windiest is small next to a mainland thermal. Diurnal shape from long-run reanalysis, not a beach measurement.

Jinámar is a wave spot on the northeast corner of Gran Canaria, on the edge of Las Palmas, and one of the better regular breaks on that side of the island. The wave breaks left and right, with power, and goes hollow in places.

It runs on the alisios out of the northeast: onshore at the beach, turning sideshore about 100 m out, and typically 20-25 knots in summer when Pozo Izquierdo is 35+. Summer at low tide is the best of it, which is also when the reefs on both sides are least forgiving.

The beach is sand with rocks and boulders through it, the shore is scarped, the current can drag you onto it on strong days, and there is no lifeguard.

Call it intermediate and up: the all-levels grading it sometimes gets does not survive the reef, the current and the missing rescue, and dirty water and a bad smell are reported often enough to be worth a look before you rig.

No kite-specific rule has been found for the beach, and where you should launch relative to the breakwater is not documented, so watch what the locals do first.

Water is 22-24 C in summer and 18-20 C in winter, which is a shorty or a 2 mm top for the warm months and a 3/2 mm full suit for the coldest.

The wind

locals call it alisios

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

fills in: The trades do not switch off overnight. June to August the wind is already near its daily average before dawn, stiffens through the late morning, and is strongest from mid-afternoon into the early evening; the gap between the quietest hour and the windiest is small next to a mainland thermal. Diurnal shape from long-run reanalysis, not a beach measurement.

Typical strength

20-25 in summer when Pozo Izquierdo is 35+

Regular wind on the northeast trades. It blows lighter here than at Pozo Izquierdo when the summer trades are hammering.

Rideable year-round, best in summer for both wind and wave, with May through September the months to aim at.

The quiver, in words

Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, derived from the documented 20-25 knot summer range rather than measured on this beach: 9 m below 18 knots, 8 m around 20, 7 m at 24-25, 6 m on the days the trades overdeliver.Wave and directional riders usually go a size under the twin-tip number here, because the wind stiffens as you get out past the break.

Direction to shore

Onshore at the beach, becoming sideshore about 100 m offshore. The shore faces roughly northeast, so NE is close to straight in, N and NNE arrive side-onshore from the left, and a NW is near cross-shore. Orientation measured from coastline geometry.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan38
Feb40
Mar54
Apr58
May, riders' month66
Jun, riders' month79
Jul, riders' month98
Aug, riders' month87
Sep, riders' month50
Oct25
Nov20
Dec15

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

9Jan21°
10Feb20°
12Mar20°
12Apr21°
12May21°
13Jun23°
14Jul23°
13Aug24°
11Sep24°
9Oct24°
8Nov23°
8Dec22°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	38%	9.3 kt	S	18.4°C	20.8°C
Feb	40%	10.2 kt	NNW	18.3°C	20.2°C
Mar	54%	11.5 kt	NNW	18.7°C	20.2°C
Apr	58%	11.6 kt	NNW	20.2°C	20.8°C
May	66%	11.9 kt	NNW	20.8°C	21.3°C
Jun	79%	12.7 kt	NNW	22.2°C	22.6°C
Jul	98%	13.8 kt	NNW	25°C	23.1°C
Aug	87%	12.9 kt	NNW	25.7°C	23.5°C
Sep	50%	11 kt	N	23.4°C	23.8°C
Oct	25%	9.1 kt	NNW	23.9°C	23.8°C
Nov	20%	8.4 kt	N	22°C	22.9°C
Dec	15%	8 kt	S	19.3°C	21.8°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

Tides

Summer, and low tide in particular, is reportedly the best combination for wind and wave. Low tide also uncovers the reefs on both sides.

Temperature

22-24°C summer · 18-20°C winter

Wetsuit

Shorty or 2 mm top is commonly enough in late summer or windy dawn/dusk sessions; 3/2 mm full suit is typical for the coldest winter water.

Currents

On days with strong current the set runs toward the scarped shore. Being dragged onto it is the real risk here, more than the wave itself.

20–24°C water

Sandy beach with some rocks or boulders, chop and small to medium waves. The wave breaks left and right with power and can be hollow in places.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Intermediate and up in practice. Outside the breakwater the waves need real wave experience, and the reef, the current and the missing rescue rule out unsupervised beginners, whatever the all-levels grading suggests.

The scene

What riders come here for

wave

Urban-edge wave spot between Jinámar and Las Palmas. Rarely crowded, but the beach is scruffy and cars get broken into.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: medium

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

El Burrero, 14 km

El Burrero Playa de Vargas Pozo Izquierdo

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

Rescue

No lifeguard on the beach and no kite rescue. A red danger flag is routinely up and the beach is not treated as swimmable, so a failure means self-rescuing onto a rocky, scarped shore. Emergencies go to 112.

Launch

Beach launch at Playa de Jinámar, below the Las Terrazas shopping-centre area. Park up there, walk down, launch off the sand.

Space

medium

Rider tips

Look at the reefs on both sides at low tide before you ride; that is when they are shallowest.
Stay inside the breakwater unless you are comfortable in size, because the waves outside it get serious.
Walk away from the session if the water smells bad or looks contaminated.
Leave nothing visible in the car up by Las Terrazas.
Take a 3/2 mm for winter water at 18-20 C; a shorty or 2 mm top covers the 22-24 C summer sessions.
There is not much sand to work with and a sandbank sits off to the right, so pick your launch line before you pump.
Treat every session as self-rescue. No lifeguard, a red flag up most days, and a rock shore downwind of you.
Do not wait for an afternoon fill-in the way you would on the mainland; on the trades the wind is already there in the morning.

Getting there

Airport

Gran Canaria Airport (LPA)

Route

Drive north from Gran Canaria Airport toward Las Palmas and take the Jinámar exit, about 13 minutes. There is also a direct airport bus to Piedra Santa.

Transfer

13 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the usual base and has the choice; Jinámar and Telde are closer to the water.

No-wind days

Las Palmas city visit · Las Canteras / La Cicer surf zone · Gran Canaria sightseeing · shopping and services at the nearby commercial area

FAQ

When is the best time to kite Playa de Jinámar?

May through September, with summer giving the best wind and wave conditions, especially at low tide.

Is Playa de Jinámar suitable for beginners?

No, despite one listing calling it suitable for all levels, other sources rate it intermediate and expert only because of wave size and reef hazards.

What is the wind like at Playa de Jinámar?

NE trade wind is onshore at the beach, becoming side-shore about 100 m offshore, typically 20-25 knots in summer when nearby Pozo Izquierdo sees 35 knots or more.

What hazards are there at Playa de Jinámar?

Reefs exposed at low tide on both sides of the beach, strong currents toward the scarped shore, and no verified lifeguard service.

Last updated: August 2026