Fuerteventura, Spain
Jan · 52% rideableSotavento, Fuerteventura
What it's actually like
Sotavento is a long beach on the south-east coast of Fuerteventura, about three kilometres south of Costa Calma. A sandbank separates a shallow tidal lagoon from the sea, which gives beginners standing depth and everyone else flat water close in, with chop further out. René Egli has run its centre here since 1984 and has hosted the windsurf World Cup here for 38 years.
The model record reads a flatter year than the centres describe. It shows just over half the days clearing 12 knots for three daylight hours from March to July, with July the pick at 56 in a hundred, and the autumn quietest, October at about one in four. The mean over rideable hours sits near 15 knots. The wind builds through the day: in July about one day in four is windy at 8am and more than half by 6pm. Spot guides put the peak from May to September at over 20 knots, so treat these figures as a floor until a station check ships. On a summer afternoon the lagoon can be properly lit.
The Risco del Paso centre teaches and rents windsurf and kite, from about 9.30am in winter and 10.30am in summer.
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Your month
When it's good
12 kt+ for 3+ daylight hours · kite
January · 52%. 16 rideable days in 31, 4.8 hours a day over 12 kt. Bring a book.
Where else it blows in January
Not yet checked against a weather station or an independent model, so treat these figures as a guide.
At a glance
Is it for you?
Geek analysis
January in the record
52% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
In January the wind most often sits at 8 to 11 kt (37% of daylight hours). No daylight hour is over 12 kt on at least half the days. The best hour is 11am, on 45% of days. See both charts in the full report
No weather station near enough to check these figures against.
January on the record
The month's own figures, not the year's average.
Take it with you
The full Sotavento, Fuerteventura report
Seven sections over six pages, built from the same record as this page. A PDF you can read on the plane.
When it gets busy
Crowds
Jul · HighCompiled research puts the busy months from March to September, with the summer trade wind, and the rest of the year as steadier. It is not a head count.
On the water
What January usually does
January sits outside the best months here. 52% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
Your playground
Launches & safety
Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.
- Launch
- Hazard
- Parking
- School
- Stay
- Webcam
- Approximate
Local intel
Getting there & on the ground
Stay, schools & kit
Who works this beach
All 5 stays near Sotavento, Fuerteventura on one page