Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria's most barefoot-friendly beach is way down south, beyond the hotel complexes of Playa del Inglés. If Passat blows in, you can cruise in front of the beautiful Maspalomas Dunes – definitely sticking to the kite zone! When occasional winter low-pressures sweep through, strong westerly winds and S swell can deliver amazingly clean down-the-line waveriding – with fierce rips and offshore winds though.

With over two decades of World Cup history, Pozo might be the most famous Canarian venue. If you’re looking for airtime, you’re in the right place – there’s nowhere else you can jump as often or as high. Cross-onshore Passat blows from 15 to 50 knots on 250+ days a year. In summer you’ll rarely use a sail bigger than 4.2m and your hands will appreciate the odd windless day. In a big swell, the waves can reach 5m; they’re best midway between high and low tide, yet they're never very clean; enough for one bottom-turn if you’re lucky. There are certainly flat freeride days too. Pozo’s a totally rocky beach; ostrich-egg-sized black boulders threaten flesh and kit with a muffled growl in the shorebreak. Good timing is key, especially towards high tide.

This is island's only venue where windsurfing and a standard beach-holiday can coexist (courtesy of a complex with sandy beach, pool, greens, shops and cafés). The spot's characteristics are appropriately relaxed: almost no waves, perhaps some swell on the outside, and much less wind than up north. In summer Feliz is sometimes in wind-shadow from the mountains, but a more easterly winter Passat blows in pretty well. South-westerly low-pressure winds are also perfectly sailable in this bay.

The break on the edge of the wind farm has become Pozo's local kite spot. But in order to ride it, you’ll have to do everything they told you not to in kite school: rig on the rocks, launch over slippery, head-sized boulders (it’s still best at low tide), and finally rip up the waves in often very shallow water off the rocky coast – definitely wear your leash! As long as bravery doesn’t turn foolish, you’ll be rewarded with clean, powerful faces. There are two waves: one breaks a bit more radically over a reef to the left of the launch, the other to the right (called 'Tercero Bunker': "third bunker") is smaller but nice and long. Many windsurfers prefer to sail down from Pozo (and tack back up) rather than take on the shorebreak here. Similar to 'Mosca Point', it’s only worthwhile if the waves in Pozo are at least head-high. Salinas is perfectly cross to cross-off in slightly northerly Passat; a rare southerly is interesting too.

This clean point-break north of 'Pozo' only starts working when the waves breach 2m there, most often in winter. The bigger the N or NE swell, the better. North-easterly Passat blows cross to cross-offshore, providing quality down-the-line riding. More than five bottom-turns are possible, but it’s for heroes only: the wave’s so clean because it breaks really close to shore, hence wipe-outs regularly end up on the rocks.

This spot at the lighthouse has always stayed low-profile, which could be down to it working so rarely. It needs westerly wind: north-westerly still works, but blows cross-off so it's hard to get out. Yet when it all comes together, locals rave about one of the best breaks around with long, clean waves and a beautiful backdrop of the former oasis. Windsurfing is officially permitted, but it's not so clear with kiting – one day it’s fine, the next the police will stop you from even pumping up (and you should definitely obey). So if there aren't already kites on the water, don’t be the first out!

Galdar in the north of the island only really works in winter, when low-pressures sweep through some respectable westerly wind. NW to N swell from the open Atlantic rolls freely into the bay to create Gran Canaria's most powerful waves – often mast-high, so definitely experts only! Just getting back to shore unscathed is reason enough to celebrate, and a night out in the lively capital of Las Palmas is ideal for that. The nightlife centres around the 3km-long city beach of 'Las Canteras’ and the area near 'Parque Santa Catalina’.

The beach-break of Los Enanos is an alternative for smaller days – this beach in 'San Andrés' is quite narrow, but pleasantly unspoilt. If you want hardcore, look 1.5km west to the two formidable reef-breaks of 'El Picacho' and 'El Paso'. Mere mortals usually stick to the island's east coast though.