Kitebeach el Yaque

El Yaque is the freestyle and slalom windsurf venue. Even when sand clouds up the choppy water at Force 5+, it’s still a relaxed setting in front of the small town. Kitebeach el Yaque is about a kilometre upwind – either sail there or take a boat for €2-8. Both spots share a 400m-wide strip of shallows. Beneath Porlamar’s rapidly growing cityscape is the kilometre-long sandy beach of La Caracol where spring’s stronger winds produce nice jump-ramps. From Porlamar, the main road hugs the green cliffs of the El Sierra mountain range through the historic capital 'La Asuncion’ to the pretty port of 'Juan Griego’. 2km south, Taguantar works in a N swell. After a session, Juan Griego’s harbour restaurants offer fresh fish and the island’s nicest sunset. To find waves, head straight from El Yaque to the dry Macanao Peninsular. Half-an-hour away, La Restinga also catches N swell and has an endless sandy beach in front of a huge lagoon. The wind’s only strong enough for windsurfing if it’s blowing more than 25 knots in El Yaque. There’s no need for a 4x4 since they tarred the ring-road around Macanao, but the launches are generally tricky – like the rocky little beach of La Auyama. Punta El Tunal has point-break qualities, which make it the island’s best surf-spot. Northerly swells wrap around the point to break cleanly on a reef near the rocks. It’s experts-only though, and kiters should sail up from the beach downwind. La Pared has a similar setup, but only very big swells break on the point, so the beach-break in the bay is normally ridden. Just watch your step as rocks in the water conceal big black sea urchins whose spines easily penetrate the thickest neoprene – to come ashore, try to ride the back of a wave all the way onto the beach. While a couple of sunbathers might appear at La Pared on weekends, La Carmela virtually guarantees solitude as the beach is genuinely only accessible by 4x4. It’s quite the opposite among the palm trees and beach-bars at Punta Arenas, which gets especially busy at weekends as it’s a favourite getaway for islanders and tourists alike. In swell, the point always hosts waves on one side and mirror-flat, shallow water on the other. Plus the wind’s stronger than Macanao’s north coast. Just a 10-minute drive from El Yaque, Punta Canero is also called 'Mini Pozo’. In fact, Ricardo, Gollito and co train here (albeit in more moderate conditions) before heading to the Canaries. The freshly tarred road only goes as far as Musipan theme park; follow the gravel road to the spot. Isla Coche, 10km south of El Yaque, is perfect for a day-trip by boat (about 20 minutes). Bahia de San Pedro is Coche’s main event, straight in front of the island’s two all-inclusive hotels. But the wind isn’t only offshore, it’s also lighter than El Yaque, offering clinically flat conditions. There’s not much shallow water along kilometres of sandy beach, but there’s plenty in Laguna de las Salinas. Apart from the slimy bottom and brown waters it’s a lovely setting with red sandstone, a white sandy beach, and green palm trees. On Coche’s northernmost beach, Pousada Oasis offers waves. It’s about 10 minutes in a taxi (€0.5), or 15 minutes by boat from San Pedro. Coche’s little sister Cubagua offers another slice of heaven – crystal-clear, mirror-flat water and constant wind. 'Development’ consists of just a couple of fisherman’s huts offering shade, so make it a day-trip (travel time about 50 minutes).