Sotavento Beach

Sotavento's shape is what makes it. A sandbar runs about three kilometres parallel to the coast, and at high tide the water trapped between it and the shore becomes a wide, shallow lagoon — rarely more than knee-deep, with nothing in it to hit. Add the same steady trade winds that draw kitesurfers to the rest of the east coast and you get what experienced windsurfers call the perfect playground, which is why the PWA Windsurfing World Cup comes here every July and August.

Half the appeal is tidal. High tide fills the lagoon. Low tide drains it almost completely and leaves an enormous flat sandbar behind — kilometres of wet sand reflecting the sky, closer to a Wadden Sea landscape than a Canarian beach. Both are worth seeing, so check the tide times before you set out.

The beach runs about five kilometres across several named sections: Risco del Paso, with the southern lagoon and the main windsurf zone; La Barca, further north; and the long northern stretch towards Costa Calma. Walking the lot takes a couple of hours.

Windsurfers and kitesurfers come here from all over. The René Egli school at Risco del Paso is the biggest and best known, with courses at every level and gear hire by the day or the week. The wind is strongest from May to September, with dependable thermal breezes the rest of the year.

You do not need a board to get something out of the place. At high tide the lagoon is safe paddling — mostly knee-deep, warm, and with nothing in it that can catch you out. Children love it. Bring a picnic, take photographs, or walk barefoot for an hour. Snorkelling is the one weak point: there is not much living inside the lagoon itself, though the colour of the water goes some way to making up for it.

During the World Cup in July and August the beach turns into a festival — hundreds of professional riders, support vans, stages, food trucks and crowds. Good if you want to watch, less so if you came for quiet. Outside those weeks the beach is big enough that a busy day still does not feel busy.

Sotavento sits on the eastern side of the Jandía peninsula, on the FV-2 between Costa Calma to the north and Morro Jable to the south. The main car park is at Risco del Paso, signposted from the motorway; smaller pull-ins along the coast road put you on quieter parts of the lagoon, away from the school.

From Costa Calma it is a 30-minute walk south along the coast, or ten minutes by car. From Morro Jable, about 15 minutes' drive. The local Line 1 bus stops close to the main car park.

Time the visit by the tide rather than the clock: high water for the turquoise lagoon, low water for the sandbar. There are toilets at the main car park and a beach bar at the school, but no shops, so bring water and food with you.

Mornings are calmer, afternoons windier. If you are not sailing, come early and leave as the wind picks up around midday.