MapSpainPozo Izquierdo, Gran CanariaPlaya de VargasPozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria

Playa de Vargas

Canary Islands · Pozo Izquierdo - Gran Canaria · Carrizal / Ingenio

also known as Vargas, Vargas Beach

Part of Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

wavesnot for beginnersmedium crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

Apr–Sep

Months riders and schools name

How windy

25+ knots

Character: trade · cross-shore

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

waves

21.9 °C in summerOpen Atlantic wave beach with several left and right peaks that sometimes tube

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug Sep

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

10 min

Gran Canaria Airport (LPA)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Ojos de Garzano page yet
Erizos Pointno page yet
Bahía de Formas / Salinas de Arinagano page yet
Bahía Felizno page yet
Playa del Águilano page yet
Maspalomas

The spot

Vargas is an open Atlantic wave beach on the east coast of Gran Canaria, minutes from Carrizal, Ingenio and Gran Canaria Airport, and the shore is stone. The wind is the N-NE Alisios and it is reliable from April or May through September, commonly 25 knots and more in July and August and reaching about 45 knots, which is 5-8 m territory.

Waves and tide

Waves break around 50 m out on several left and right peaks, sometimes tubing, over a bottom of sand mixed with rock. Sail it at low water. The sand strip and an easier entry appear as the tide drops, while high water throws the shorebreak straight onto stone and the beach turns powerful and dangerous.

Zones and skill level

The bay runs about 4 km, with swimmers at the far left, windsurfers in the middle and kiters at the southern end near the car park where the waves are bigger. The all-levels label is wrong for anyone riding alone: slippery stone on the launch, current, waves, strong wind, and an entry and exit that take practice put this at confident intermediate, advanced wave rider and big-air level. A 2026 Agüimes ordinance update separating bathing zones from sports zones was still in public exposure as of early September 2026 with no zone map published, so read the municipal signs before you rig.

The wind

locals call it Alisios / NE trade wind

Direction

cross-shoreN to NE

Dominant direction

N to NE, with occasional S-SW/SW usable days

Kite sizes

456789101112

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

5-8 m in the July and August trades for a 75-85 kg rider, and 8-10 m either side of the strongest months. The same NE gradient lands slightly lighter here than at Pozo Izquierdo a few kilometres south, so size up a little against a Pozo call.

Character

trade

Typical strength

Summer N-NE trades commonly 25+ knots and able to reach about 45 knots; one race day in July 2022 was forecast at over 30 knots. Outside summer it is usually lighter.

Very consistent through the April-September season, strong and sometimes gusty near shore. More than 300 days of wind per year is the reported figure, unconfirmed against long-term statistics because none are available on the public statistics page.

The best wind runs April or May through September, with July and August the windiest months. Winter brings less wind and more surf and wave days.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

12 ktJan19°
13 ktFeb19°
13 ktMar19°
13 ktApr19°
13 ktMay20°
14 ktJun21°
16 ktJul22°
15 ktAug23°
12 ktSep23°
11 ktOct23°
11 ktNov22°
12 ktDec21°

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

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

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (1980-2016), 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	12.2 kt	N	16.7 °C	19.4 °C
Feb	12.7 kt	N	16.7 °C	18.9 °C
Mar	12.7 kt	N	17.2 °C	18.9 °C
Apr	12.7 kt	N	17.8 °C	18.9 °C
May	12.8 kt	N	18.9 °C	20 °C
Jun	13.9 kt	N	20.6 °C	21.1 °C
Jul	16.2 kt	N	22.2 °C	21.7 °C
Aug	15.2 kt	N	22.8 °C	22.8 °C
Sep	12.2 kt	N	22.8 °C	23.3 °C
Oct	10.7 kt	N	21.7 °C	22.8 °C
Nov	11.4 kt	N	20 °C	21.7 °C
Dec	11.9 kt	E	17.8 °C	20.6 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 1980-2016

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

A station this far away — often inland or at an airport — can understate accelerated local wind. 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.

Ingenio, Gran Canaria (model 91% weighted on Gran Canaria Airport) · Weatherspark (NASA MERRA-2 reanalysis, 1980-2016)

The water

Type

waves

Standing depth

Not a standing spot. The bottom is sand mixed with rock, the shore itself is stones, and the waves break around 50 m out; there is no shallow shelf to walk a kite out on.

Tides

Low water is the one to sail.The sand strip and an easier entry appear as the tide drops; high water puts a heavy shorebreak straight onto stone and the spot turns powerful and dangerous.Wave quality is separately rated best on the flood, which pulls the other way.If you are new here, take the low-water advice first and let the wave question wait.

Temperature

21.9 °C summer · 19.8 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 19–23 °C

Wetsuit

3/2 wetsuit commonly recommended year-round; shorty/rash vest may be enough for some riders in late summer, but the east-coast wind chill is significant.

Currents

Medium with the N-NE trade and close to nothing on SW days. Some days run stronger than medium, and on those getting in and out takes experience.

Conditions

Open Atlantic wave beach with several left and right peaks that sometimes tube. The shore is mainly pebble and stone, with sand and rock in the water; sand shows at low tide, and there is sandy bottom farther in. The waves break around 50 m from shore.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

All-levels labels exist for Vargas, and SW flat-water days are described as suiting beginners.

Against that: slippery stone on the launch, current, waves, strong wind, and an entry and exit that take practice, which is why the kite-specific ratings sit at intermediate to advanced.

Treat it as unsuitable for an independent beginner unless a local school confirms a safe lesson setup on the day.

The scene

What riders come here for

intermediatefreeridewavebig airjumpingadvanced

Local, high-skill wave and big-air scene sharing a long bay with windsurfers. Swimmer occupancy is officially listed as low, but watersports use climbs through the trade-wind season and the campsite next door brings riders.

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: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

6 spots nearby

All 6 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Summer surveillance

Covered, but only in summer. The Aguimes municipal surveillance, lifeguard and first-aid service runs 15 June to 15 September and names Vargas among the beaches it protects, alongside Arinaga's bathing areas and El Cabron.

Crew and equipment

The 2026 crew was 12 lifeguards plus Local Police and Proteccion Civil, equipped with a rescue boat, a jet ski, approach chairs and amphibious crutches; the 2024 season ran daily 11:00-19:00 with 11 lifeguards and a boat skipper on a zodiac.

Off-season

Outside those dates and hours nothing is on the beach: ride inside your self-rescue range and call 112.

Launch

Launch and layoutLaunch from the southern, downwind end of the bay near the car park. Across the roughly 4 km bay the usual layout is swimmers at the far left, windsurfers in the middle and kiters south where the waves are bigger.The shore is medium stone and pebble and it gets slippery; a sand strip shows at low water, while high water puts the shorebreak straight onto rock. Vehicles carrying gear cross the avenue at the shortest point and use the access ramp. Newcomers are told to stay downwind of the car park and out of the traffic.

Hazards riders report 11 reported

Wind

Strong summer trade wind, with reports of 25+ knots and up to about 45 knots
Strong summer trade wind: 25 kt and more is normal in July and August, with the biggest days reaching around 45 kt.

Crowds and zones

Crowded/high-level local riding area; collision risk if entering in the wrong zone
Rigging boards, sails or kites in the bathing, solarium, platform, ramp or sea-access areas is a serious infraction under the 2026 Aguimes beach-rule update.

Bottom

Slippery stony/pebble launch and entry/exit
Rocks/stones near shore and mixed sand-rock bottom

Waves and currents

powerful, dangerous shorebreak at high tide
Powerful shorebreak onto stones at high tide
Medium currents in N-NE wind; stronger currents possible on some days

Other

Lifeguard cover only 15 June to 15 September, and in past seasons only 11:00-19:00; outside that window Vargas is self-rescue.
Riding must stop on a verbal order from beach staff or when the red flag is flying.

Rules & access

1 min read

2018 (Ordenanza reguladora del uso y disfrute de las playas de Aguimes, BOP Las Palmas no. 131, 31 October 2018): water sports that need conditions unsuited to bathing - surf, windsurf and the like - are permitted at the athlete's own risk, and must stop at once on a verbal order from officials or the beach-watch staff, or when the red flag is up.

Swimming zones

Inside buoyed exclusive bathing zones, sport and recreational navigation and floating craft of any propulsion are banned. Where nothing is buoyed, bathing water is the first 200 m off a beach and 50 m off rocky coast.

Equipment storage

Leaving or storing boats, windsurf boards, sails, catamarans or any other craft outside the signed areas is prohibited and the gear can be removed at the owner's cost. Vehicles bringing craft cross the avenue at the shortest point and use the access ramp.

Playa de Vargas changes

2026: on 25 May the council gave initial approval to a modification of that ordinance aimed specifically at Playa de Vargas, splitting the beach into signed bathing zones and sports zones, prohibiting surf, windsurf, kitesurf and wing foil inside the bathing zone, and prohibiting the rigging of boards, sails or kites in bathing, solarium, platform, ramp and sea-access areas; breaches are graded as serious and can be stopped on the spot.

The text went to 30 days of public exposure in the provincial bulletin, and as of early September 2026 no definitive approval and no zone map had appeared. Treat the split as being applied and read the municipal signs on the day.

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

Time your first session for low tide and small surf; high tide is where this beach hurts people.
Wear booties and a helmet if you ride close to shore, because the launch and the shorebreak are stone.
Rig in the enabled sports zone only and keep out of the bathing, solarium, platform, ramp and sea-access areas; the 2026 Agüimes update grades that as a serious infraction.
Launch from the southern end, downwind of the car park: swimmers sit far left, windsurfers centre, kiters south.
Bring 5-8 m for July and August, and 8-10 m either side of the strongest months.
Do not plan a session around the lifeguards: the 15 June to 15 September service is a bathing service, and outside those dates, or before 11:00 and after 19:00, the beach is unmanned.

Getting there

Airport

Gran Canaria Airport (LPA)

Route

By car from the GC-1, take the Carrizal/GC-191 exit just south of the airport, continue toward Cruce de Arinaga, then turn for the coast at the roundabout with three white sails and carry on to the beach. There is also an access from the C-812 at km 32.

Transfer

10 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Camping Playa de Vargas is within a few hundred metres of the beach and open year round, with pitches, cabins, showers, a restaurant and a grocery; the reference price starts at EUR 15 in 2026. More apartments and services are in Carrizal, Ingenio, Arinaga and Pozo Izquierdo.

No-wind days

Surf at Vargas in the calmer months, windsurf and wingfoil around Pozo and Vargas when it suits, dive the El Cabrón Marine Reserve near Arinaga, walk the Barranco de Guayadeque, or head for the Las Palmas city beaches and the south-coast resorts.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite Vargas?

The prime season runs from April or May through September, with July and August the windiest months.

Is Vargas suitable for beginners?

No. The shore is mostly slippery stones, currents can strengthen, and entry and exit are technical, so it favors intermediate and advanced riders.

What is the wind like?

The steady wind is the N-NE Alisios trade, commonly over 25 knots in summer and sometimes reaching about 45 knots.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

A 2026 Aguimes ordinance update separates bathing and watersports areas at Playa de Vargas, prohibiting kitesurfing inside the buoyed bathing zone.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Schools operating near the beach include Siroco Kitesurf School and Pozo Winds.

The bigger pictureEverything about Pozo Izquierdo - Gran Canaria

Last updated: August 2026