Windsurfing in Tenerife - there's only one place to go!

Try looking up "windsurfing in Tenerife" online and you'll get loads of results - all referring to the town of El Medano.

This is because that particular place is the top venue for the sport in the whole of the Canary Islands, with ideal wind and water conditions.

In fact, one of El Medano's beaches is used as the venue for the Spanish Windsurfing Championship.

The reason for all this is simple. The wind at El Medano is very, very strong! The long south-east side of Tenerife plus the giant wall of nearby Mount Teide both create a tunnel between Tenerife and its neighbouring island, Gran Canaria. As a result, the trade winds are whipped up to awesome speeds. This pretty much guarantees windy days all year round.

The best time of year for windsurfing in Tenerife is between May and September. In winter, the wind still blows but its direction is a bit unpredictable.

There are several beaches surrounding this quaint Canarian town, of varied difficulty for windsurfers.

El Cabezo

This is the place that serves as a venue for the windsurfing championship. It is a bay next to El Medano and is only really suitable for experienced windsurfers.

Generally, the wind is stronger and the waves are bigger than elsewhere in the vicinity. Sailing too far out to sea can be dangerous as there are strong currents and swells.

El Medano

The actual bay of El Medano has a good cross-shore wind and you can experience reasonably high waves. This is a little less demanding than El Cabezo.

La Jaquita

Another bay round El Medano. Pretty much the same conditions, not as demanding as El Cabezo.

I've managed to unearth details of some windsurf centres in El Medano, but there may be more.

Surf Center El Medano

Situated on the Calle La Gaviota, a road running parallel to the beach, this German-run enterprise offers both rental of equipment and expert tuition.

There is an email enquiry form on the website.

Telephone: (+34) 922 176688.
Website: www.surfcenter.el-medano.com/Infos/englisch/default.htm

Fun Factory

Found right next to La Cabeza beach, Fun Factory stocks windsurfing equipment, along with surfing equipment and bikes.

Email: info@medanobike.com
Telephone: (+34) 922 176273.

El Medano Windsurf SL

Situated right on the beach, this is a windsurfing club. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to have a website.

Telephone: (+34) 922 179401.

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