Fuerteventura, second largest island of the Canaries, offers its visitors a multiplicity of worth seeing opportunities. A vegetation cover similar to the moonscape, mountains that send backpacker into transports of delight and never-ending, dreamlike white sandy beaches. But it is long ago that the latter have been the domicile only for people relishing the quietness and good conditions for having a bath in the ocean. Because Fuerteventura is also for many years a Mecca for surfers.

Nowadays the surf sport is divided into many different kinds, such as windsurfing, kite surfing, catching a wave with a bodyboard or the classic surfing. Passion for the sea and the special things in life is what they all have in common. A sport, that challenges your body as well as your mind, which offers the extreme and teaches you in the same time to be in line with nature and its vagaries. Cause one is subject to its rules, when waiting for good conditions in the form of waves. And there are waves en masse on Fuerteventura!

With their exposed position in the Atlantic Ocean and their mild climatic conditions the Canary Islands offer all-the-year ideal conditions for the surf sport. That’s why they’re often called “Europe’s Hawaii”. Especially during the winter superlative waves reach the islands, caused by a strong swell of the Atlantic and relatively weak breezes. The main surf area is provided in the north of the island around the well-known resorts Corralejo and Cotillo. Although there are also sufficient opportunities to ride waves in the south around Morro Jable and Playa Barca. Boards, Wetsuits and further equipment can be found in the numerous Surf-Shops, whereupon it’s always sensible to compare prices. Beginner should seek the help of experts, for example in the local surf schools. There they demonstrate, how the sport works and which things respectively dangers one should keep in mind – and there are existing a lot of these for surfing. Irrespective of the fact that the sport seems way more easy to perfom to the outside, than it is in reality. But for all that fun is inevitable.

A lot of the surfable waves on Fuerteventura don’t break on the beaches (beachbreaks), but on the reefs (Reefbreaks). These are places which should be subject to experts, because mistakes are not allowed, as names for spots like “Suicides” or “Spew Pits” forebode. In addition one should be able to estimate the flow conditions and the wind, which cause in most cases better conditions in the north than in the south of the island. That’s why you can watch numerous kite- and wind-surfers chasing gusts of wind on Flag Beach, while you also have to be careful not to collide with the surfers in Corralejo, running along the seafront with the wet boards under their arms.

So give this exotic sport a chance to enchant you, no matter if on Fuerteventura or on one of the other islands! Try one of the courses just for fun, improve your bottom turn or just enjoy the vespertine atmosphere  in a surfer-bar and maybe you’ll even meet a profi.

Having said this: Hang loose!

Your s-w-e-p-Team