MapSpainSotavento, FuerteventuraSotavento (Playa de Sotavento de Jandía)Sotavento, Fuerteventura

Sotavento (Playa de Sotavento de Jandía)

Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores & Cape Verde · Sotavento - Fuerteventura · Costa Calma

also known as Sotavento de Jandía, Risco del Paso, Playa Sotavento, Sotavento de Jandia, Laguna de Sotavento, Playa La Barca

Part of Sotavento, Fuerteventura →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlyhigh crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

May–Sep

Months riders and schools name

How windy

20-30 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

23 °C in summerLagoon water is flat, lightly chopped up in strong wind

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug Sep

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

60 min

Fuerteventura Airport (FUE)

On the clock

13:00 · 18:00

Light to moderate in the morning, then a hard afternoon build: the wind commonly comes up 10-15 knots between the morning reading and the 13:00-18:00 peak (2026). Rig for what will be blowing in two hours rather than for what is on the beach now.

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Risco del Pasoalso a name for this spot
Matas Bayno page yet
Flag Beach / Corralejo
Piedra Playa / El Cotillo

The spot

The engine here is the Alisios, the trade wind that Fuerteventura's southeast Jandia coast squeezes between its ridges and heats over the island, so Sotavento regularly blows harder than the forecast you read at breakfast and gets properly wild in July and August. The headline feature is a tidal lagoon behind a sandbar: when it fills it is shallow and flat, one of Europe's classic lesson and freestyle arenas.

Ocean-side alternative

When it does not fill, and it does not fill every day, the whole scene moves to the ocean side or down to Risco del Paso's shallow pools and open-water launch. On the ocean side the wind is cross-offshore to offshore, which is the part nobody puts in the brochure: if you are not solid upwind and the centre boat has gone home, there is nothing behind you.

Events and season

The beach has run major windsurfing and kiteboarding world events since the 1980s, and in peak season the sand is school-heavy and international. Come May to September; May, June and September give you the same wind with a fraction of the July-August crowd.

The wind

locals call it Alisios / north-east trade wind with thermal and Venturi acceleration

Direction

cross-offN to NEwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

cross-off

Dominant direction

N to NE, often described locally as N/NW at Risco del Paso depending on the exact beach angle

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider: 7-8 m is the workhorse through May-September, 5-6 m on the 30-35 knot July and August afternoons, 9-10 m in the mornings and on softer days, and 11-12 m in the light winter spells.Bring the small kite you would normally leave at home.The gap between what you feel on the sand at midday and what is blowing at 16:00 is regularly 10-15 knots.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

15-30 knots is the working range. June to August afternoons peak at Beaufort 7-8, roughly 30-35 knots, and NE gusts above 50 knots have been recorded in the strong spring and summer months. Outside the main season it is lighter and less reliable, commonly 15-25 knots.

Typical strength

20-30 kt in the main May-September season; July-August can exceed 30 kt, with reported peaks up to 40-50+ kt

Very reliable in season, and gustier and stronger than forecast because the trade wind accelerates between the local ridges and gets a push from island heating. Risco del Paso is cleaner than the hotel and La Barca end, and still side-offshore to offshore.

The centre sits in Sotavento's strong-wind zone, where the NE trade is accelerated between the ridges and topped up by thermal compression off the island. The strongest and most constant NE winds come in spring and summer and can exceed 50 kt.

May-September is the booking window everyone works to, July-August strongest and busiest. It can blow year-round, but winter is a lottery.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan52
Feb51
Mar42
Apr52
May, riders' month55
Jun, riders' month60
Jul, riders' month55
Aug, riders' month40
Sep, riders' month20
Oct31
Nov32
Dec48

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

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

52%Jan19°
51%Feb18°
42%Mar18°
52%Apr19°
55%May19°
60%Jun21°
55%Jul21°
40%Aug22°
20%Sep23°
31%Oct22°
32%Nov21°
48%Dec20°

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal.

Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	Wind from	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	52%	74%	61%	13.1 kt	ENE	12:00	17.8 °C	18.9 °C	62
Feb	51%	74%	67%	13.1 kt	NNW	12:00	17.8 °C	18.3 °C	57
Mar	42%	65%	58%	12.8 kt	NNW	13:00	18.3 °C	18.3 °C	62
Apr	52%	73%	65%	13.7 kt	NNW	16:00	19.4 °C	18.9 °C	60
May	55%	74%	65%	14 kt	NNW	16:00	20.6 °C	19.4 °C	62
Jun	60%	87%	78%	14.7 kt	NNW	17:00	22.2 °C	20.6 °C	60
Jul	55%	79%	69%	14.6 kt	NNW	17:00	23.3 °C	21.1 °C	62
Aug	40%	74%	66%	13.3 kt	NNW	16:00	24.4 °C	22.2 °C	62
Sep	20%	57%	43%	11.6 kt	N	14:00	23.9 °C	22.8 °C	60
Oct	31%	56%	44%	11.5 kt	ENE	14:00	22.8 °C	22.2 °C	62
Nov	32%	47%	42%	11.5 kt	ENE	12:00	21.1 °C	21.1 °C	60
Dec	48%	66%	55%	13.2 kt	ENE	12:00	18.9 °C	20 °C	62

How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024

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

A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.

High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Standing depth over most of the filled lagoon and over the shallow pools at Risco del Paso: knee to waist for a long way, on clean sand with no rock.Quoted maximum lagoon depth ranges from about 60 cm to over a metre depending on where and when it is measured, so treat the numbers as a range rather than a figure.The ocean side outside the sandbar drops away quickly and is not a standing spot.

Tides

The lagoon is tidal and does not fill usefully every day. It works on tide and moon windows, tied to the spring tides around the full and new moon, and gives roughly four hours of usable water on the days it does fill.Tidal mechanicsLevels come from a published season timetable rather than a generic tide app, and the datum matters: the windsurf area in front of the hotel needs about a metre of water to work at all, while the kite and school end is rideable on a good deal less.Between fills the bed is dry or ankle-deep sand and the whole scene moves to the ocean side or to the shallow pools at Risco del Paso. Low water exposes sandbanks right across the system.

Temperature

23 °C summer · 18.5 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 18–23 °C

Wetsuit

Summer: boardshorts, bikini or a lycra for short sessions, a shorty or neoprene top if it is windy or you are staying out. Winter: a 3/2 mm full suit is the safe default, and riders who feel the cold go thicker.

Currents

Tidal flow runs in the lagoon channels when it fills and when it drains. Nobody has published a figure for how strong it gets.

Conditions

Lagoon water is flat, lightly chopped up in strong wind.

Outside the sandbar and at Risco del Paso the ocean is flat to choppy over sand, with small beach breaks and waves up to about 2 m windward of the centre.

Sotavento is a 9 km beach system: La Barca, Risco del Paso, Mirador, Los Canarios and Malnombre, with a sand barrier roughly 100-300 m offshore holding the lagoon behind it.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

The filled lagoon and the shallow pools at Risco del Paso are where lessons and early progression happen, on knee-to-waist sand with no rock.

Independent riders should treat the ocean side as intermediate or advanced, because the prevailing wind is cross-offshore to offshore and a centre briefing or rescue cover matters.

Strong summer wind can make a first lesson intimidating even where the water is shallow.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestyleflat waterwavesbig airbeginner lessonsfreeridespeedbump and jumpsmall waves

Who it suitsbeginner

International, school-heavy and event-linked at the main lagoon/La Barca end, with enough beach length to spread out if you walk away from the busiest centres. Risco del Paso feels more natural and less built-up, but the kite and windsurf zones still require attention.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

5 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

3 spots nearby

All 3 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Both main centres run rescue. Risco del Paso has a lifeboat and a jet ski; the lagoon end has boat cover and a lagoon shuttle. It is built around their own lesson and rental clients, and a pickup for anyone else carries a surcharge.

Cover follows centre hours, which at Risco del Paso are 09:30-18:00 from May to August and 10:00-17:30 from September to April. With the wind cross-offshore on the ocean side, riding after the centres close means riding with nothing behind you.

Emergency number is 112.

Launch

Huge sandy beach system with main access/launch around Hotel Paradisus/Melia-Rene Egli at Playa La Barca and a second major access at Risco del Paso.Launch space is huge when the lagoon is dry, but can become limited along the sand edge when the lagoon is full; at Risco del Paso kiters launch left/downwind of the windsurfing area and may need a short walk from parking.

Hazards riders report 14 reported

Wind

afternoon wind can become strongly overpowered
side-offshore wind risks drifting away from the beach if you lose your kite
Prevailing cross-offshore to offshore wind can carry riders away from the beach on the open-ocean side if gear fails or they cannot ride upwind.
Thermal and Venturi acceleration can push the wind well past the model forecast: sudden increases of 10 kt, and summer days of 30-40 kt.
Thermal/Venturi acceleration can make the wind suddenly much stronger than the model forecast; sudden increases of 10-15 knots between morning and afternoon are normal and summer days of 30-40 knots are common.
Rescue cover ends when the centres close - 18:00 in summer, 17:30 from September to April - and the wind is often still up.

Crowds and zones

Busy school and freestyle zones in summer require strict spacing and visual checks downwind.
Marked nautical channels are not swimming areas, and bathers, windsurfers and kiters share the broader beach environment.

Waves and currents

shallow sandbanks and fin catches at low tide
crowding/collisions near school zones at busy high-tide windows

Protected areas and rules

Lagoon water can be too shallow in places; catching a fin or board on sandbanks is a real injury risk.
High-water lagoon days can submerge parts of the beach, shrinking rigging/launch space and soaking bags left too close to the water.
The beach sits within or beside protected marine and dune habitats; do not disturb wildlife, plants, stones or the dunes.
Waves on the ocean side at Risco del Paso reach 1-2 m, which is more than the lagoon reputation suggests.

Rules & access

1 min read

2021-2026: Pajara's beach-services concession lists kiteboarding in sports sectors D-6 (Barranco de Pecenescal / Risco del Paso) and D-7, D-8 and D-9 (Playa de Sotavento), each with a marked access and exit channel of 200 m by 20 m; signage in those channels prohibits bathing and shows the permitted uses. School and rental zones on the sand and in the water are marked with flags and buoys.

Beach ordinance and penalties

2020 Pajara beach ordinance (Ordenanza municipal de utilizacion de las playas y zonas adyacentes, BOP Las Palmas no. 25, 26 February 2020, the current consolidated text on the town hall site in 2026): where the town hall regulates surf, windsurf or kitesurf on a beach, private riders must use the buoyed entry and exit zones; in bathing areas any sport may go ahead only when no bathers are present, except inside buoyed, authorised zones; boards, sails and craft may not be left outside signposted areas; riding in breach of the ordinance is a serious offence.

2020 fines:

minor up to EUR 500,
serious EUR 501-2,500,
very serious EUR 2,501-12,000.

Beach access

Beach access and parking on the sand are free and public.

Visitor rules

2026 visitor rules for the beach: take waste away, throw nothing into the sea, do not disturb or feed animals, do not remove stones or natural material, no soap or gel in the beach showers, and check where dogs are allowed.

Lagoon access

The lagoon end sits under an exclusive lessons licence held by the centre there, worded around instruction rather than as a ban on independent riders; no 2026 document setting out independent-rider access inside the lagoon was found.

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

Plan the trip around the centre's published 2026 lagoon timetable, not a generic tide app: the lagoon does not fill usefully every day.
Bring a small kite for summer. 6-8 m is the working size on strong July-August afternoons for an average-weight rider.
If you are not riding upwind reliably, stay in the lagoon and school areas and keep off the open sea in cross-offshore wind.
At Risco del Paso, rig on the kite side, left and downwind of the centre, and stay out of the windsurfing zone; the free shuttle covers the 7 km from Costa Calma, so a car is optional at that end.
Do not leave bags on the low sand near the lagoon edge on big tide days; the beach can go underwater at high water.
Time your last session to finish before the centre closes, 18:00 in summer and 17:30 from September to April. The rescue boat goes home with them.

Getting there

Airport

Fuerteventura Airport (FUE)

Route

Drive south from the airport on the FV-2 toward Costa Calma and Jandia. The lagoon end is reached through the Hotel Melia/Paradisus access at Playa La Barca; Risco del Paso has its own beach access and dirt road further south, with free public access and parking on the sand.Buses reach Costa Calma but not the launches. A free shuttle runs the 7 km between Costa Calma and Risco del Paso, which makes a car-free trip workable if you ride there; for the lagoon end and for moving gear a rental car is easier.

Transfer

60 min

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

Closest beach-base options are the Paradisus/Melia Fuerteventura area at Playa Sotavento/La Barca and Costa Calma hotels/apartments; Costa Calma has restaurants, shops and more accommodation choice. Morro Jable is another base farther south, especially for Surfers Island clients or no-wind evenings.

No-wind days

Beach walking and swimming in the Sotavento lagoon, SUP/kayak/snorkel trips, surfing at La Pared, visiting Morro Jable, Playa de Jandia, Faro de Punta Jandia, Cofete, Ajuy caves, Betancuria, hiking and viewpoints on the Jandia peninsula.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite Sotavento?

May through September is the main season, with the strongest and most constant NE trade winds in spring and summer; July and August are the strongest and busiest months.

Is Sotavento suitable for beginners?

Yes, in the filled lagoon and at Risco del Paso's shallow pools, where local sources explicitly teach all levels. The open ocean side is better suited to intermediate and advanced riders because the prevailing wind is cross-offshore to offshore.

What is the wind like at Sotavento?

The NE Alisios trade wind is accelerated by local ridges and island heating, typically 20-30 knots in season and often stronger and gustier than forecast.

Are there kite schools or rental at Sotavento?

Rene Egli Center, ION CLUB Risco del Paso/Duotone Pro Center, and Surfers Island in Morro Jable all operate at Sotavento.

Are there rules or designated kite zones at Sotavento?

Kiteboarding is listed in specific sports sectors along the beach, each with a marked 200 m by 20 m access/exit channel where bathing is prohibited. Rene Egli is the official and exclusive license holder for lessons in the lagoon.

The bigger pictureEverything about Sotavento - Fuerteventura

Last updated: August 2026