4 water sports suggestions designed to make the most of your stay in Lanzarote
Now that the heat is on, it’s time to enjoy the sea and experience new emotions by practising nautical sports. One of Lanzarote’s most outstanding weather conditions are the intense and constant winds that blow along some parts of the island’s coastline. But that doesn’t reduce the number of sporting activities that can be practised – on the contrary, it brings into play a whole new range of options. You can literally fly over the water while kitesurfing or sail at high speeds on a windsurfing or wing foil board, thanks to the powerful wind that comes from the land, or the trade winds that blow with different intensities.
In this article we suggest four water sports that make the most of the virtue of the god Aeolus.
Windsurfing
Windsurfing is one of the sports that arouses most interest among visitors to Lanzarote, perhaps because they are curious to try for themselves what they have seen in the spectacular images provided by the European Windsurfing Championships every year, or simply to enjoy new experiences. It’s a sport that requires more technical skill than physical strength, although you also need to be in good physical shape. The best idea is to start practising the sport with the help of a coach who will teach you how to carry out the first manoeuvres involving the sail on a day with low wind intensity and without travelling long distances.
There are several schools on the beach of Las Cucharas in Costa Teguise that will help you with your first outings, offering intensive courses led by professionals. Windsurfers with a higher level of skill can be seen sailing along the coastline of Costa Teguise or in the area of Jameos del Agua. It is a real spectacle to see them perform manoeuvres in the sea, making the most of the intensity of the wind.
Windsurfing Foil
If you add a foil to the windsurfing board, then you are practising windsurf hydrofoil (windsurf foil), which was born as a result of the worldwide fever for improved aerodynamics and efficiency in navigation in all kinds of sailing, by minimizing water resistance to achieve more speed with little wind. However, it is usually experienced windsurfers who make the leap to this modality.
In May the island hosted the 1st International Lanzarote Foil Challenge Regatta which saw the participation of Sebastian Kördel, the world champion. This competition demonstrated the excellent conditions Lanzarote offers for the practice of Windsurfing Foil as well as the island’s commitment to being a favourite destination for lovers of this sport.
As it does not depend on special wind conditions and can be practiced on the island 365 days a year, this is a very attractive sport to practice and enjoy all along the coastline of Lanzarote. However, just as with windsurfing, safety must be prioritised and some basic concepts must be mastered before getting into the sea.
Kitesurfing
If you like strong emotions, and you want to feel like you are flying over the sea, doing acrobatics and pirouettes in the air, kitesurfing is the sport for you. This extreme sport consists of gliding over the water as the wind propels a traction kite attached to your body by means of a harness, so that you can sail on a board over the waves or perform manoeuvres that take you so high in the air that not even the most acrobatic of dolphins could reach you.
It’s a risky sport and you need to take a beginner’s course before heading out to sea, but once you have mastered the technique it is fascinating to be able to jump several metres high and then continue sailing at high speed. The strength and direction of the wind play a fundamental role, so it’s important to find out the weather forecast before putting on the harness. Playa de Famara is the favourite place on the island for kitesurfing, although depending on the wind direction you can see kitesurfers at other spots along the coast of Lanzarote.
In La Santa, Famara and Costa Teguise there are different establishments offering training courses for those who want to get started in this modality.
Wing Foil
This sport landed on the island a few years ago but recent months have seen a real boom in the activity. Without doubt, wing foiling is here to stay, and more and more people want to try this new nautical modality.
It basically consists of holding and manipulating a “wing” in your hands, with no need to be attached to the board, as in kitesurfing. Wing foiling is a relatively easy sport to learn. As with windsurfing foil, no special wind conditions are needed and it is up to you to decide how much wind you need, enjoying more and more as you improve your technical skills.
Any spot on the coast of Lanzarote is ideal for this sport, but we recommend those with easy access so you can transport all the equipment without any problems.
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It doesn’t matter what kind of sport you choose – on your next trip to Lanzarote, don’t miss out on and take advantage of the magnificent conditions that the island offers to practice sport.
See you on the water!
