The bay at Pozo Izquierdo, windsurfers in the white water — Photo: Nathalie Cools

The stony beach and the village at Pozo Izquierdo. — Photo: Luomomi

Kit carried over the stones at Pozo Izquierdo. — Photo: Nathalie Cools

A windsurfer in the breakers at Pozo Izquierdo. — Photo: Nathalie Cools

Spain

Jul · 98% rideable

Pozo Izquierdo

What it's actually like

Pozo is a wave stop on the PWA World Tour, and the bay is yours for windsurfing whenever it blows 10 knots or more. In July almost every day clears 12 knots, and the island can double the alisio, the north-east trade.

Buenas, that's hello here. Pozo Izquierdo is a small village on the south-east coast of Gran Canaria, near Vecindario, in the municipality of Santa Lucía de Tirajana. The bay in front of it is El Arenal to the people who live here, a wave venue on the PWA World Tour. Windsurfers get it to themselves whenever the wind is 10 knots or more. The alisio, the north-east trade, blows side-onshore, usually from the left, and the long wave breaks to the right.

May to September is the season. Since 2017, in July almost every day clears 12 knots for three daylight hours or more, at 98 per cent, with August close behind at 94. Over those rideable hours the wind averages 19 to 22 knots, up from the morning and holding all day. The averages undersell Pozo. The trade squeezes round an almost circular island with mountains of about 2,000 metres, which can double the wind and bring 30 to 40 knots on summer days. Come July it is nuking.

The bay is the main launch: stones and some sand underfoot, a concrete rigging area, and a shorebreak that gets big at high tide. Keep to the left if you do not know the place, and stay clear of the rocky section called the bunker. Salinas de Pozo, next along the coast, is where windsurfers and kiters can both ride, over volcanic stone with a powerful shorebreak. Bahía de Formas, by the quay at Arinaga, is the flat-water alternative: a wide beach, half sand and half rock, for every level.

Every entry and exit here is over stones. At high tide the shorebreak is big and breaks on the rocky shore, and you take care at low tide; booties are recommended. The bunker is hard to get in and out of, especially when the tide is up. Currents run medium to strong. The trade wind is strong in summer and can stop when hot air arrives from the Sahara. Treat it as expert water: advanced bump and jump sailors, expert wave sailors and professionals ride here.

Rules and safety. The bay is for windsurfing only from 10 knots (18.5 km/h) up. Below that, bodyboard, surf, kayak and paddle surf may use it. At Salinas windsurfers keep to windward and kitesurfers to leeward when it is risky. Water sports in unsuitable bathing conditions are at your own risk. You stop at once if the authorities or beach staff require it. The unbuoyed bathing zone is 200 metres off a beach, closed to sport craft. Keep boards and sails inside the marked areas. In an emergency call 112.

Pozo is a stop on the PWA World Tour, and the 2026 Gran Canaria windsurf World Cup ran from 4 to 12 July. Waves are generally no less than a metre high and can reach 3 metres. The front has a grandstand, parking areas, basins for rinsing kit and outside lighting. Pozo itself is small, with little for non-windsurfers, and there is no cash machine, so bring cash or plan a trip to the next town.

Pozo suits riders who can already plane and gybe and want to start jumping, and the best waves come in winter. Summer sails run 3.4 to 4.2 square metres, and 4.2 to 5.3 the rest of the year, when the trades are lighter and the ground swell bigger. At the World Cup the talk is of 2.8 to 4 metre sails, and a sail bigger than 4.7 is rare in summer. Beginner courses at the Bjorn Dunkerbeck centre run at Bahía de Formas and Playa del Águila.

When it's good

Is it for you?

LevelJumper to megalooper
Kiters launch at Salinas only, over volcanic stone and a powerful shorebreak.
WaterHead-high
At Salinas the wind runs a little more side-shore, with a powerful shorebreak.
LaunchPebbles
Volcanic stone underfoot at Salinas, so expect rocky entries and exits: wear booties.
WetsuitShorty
Sea about 23 °C in July: a shorty, plus a long sleeve on windy days.
AprèsGoes off till sunrise
3 bars, 1 club and 32 places to eat within 5 km: the night's yours.
CostNot checked yet

Where to launch

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Launch
Parking

Pozo Izquierdo bay

The regatta course in front of the village.

For windsurf. Directions: Google Maps · Apple Maps
Salinas de Pozo

The zone where windsurfing and kitesurfing are both allowed: windsurfers to windward, kitesurfers to leeward when it is busy.

For windsurf, kite. Directions: Google Maps · Apple Maps

In an emergency

Emergency 112
Sea rescue (Salvamento Marítimo) 900 202 202

Getting there

Nearest airportGran Canaria (LPA). About 18 km and 18 minutes by road, so you can be rigging up soon after landing.
Flying with a board bagRyanair, Jet2.com, TUI Airways, easyJet. Flying into Gran Canaria (LPA)? Tap through to their board bag rules and fees before you book.
Getting aroundGet a car. Take the GC-1 motorway, come off at Vecindario for Pozo Izquierdo, then follow the road to the shore. Parking by the beach is free.

Stay, learn and rent

Full details for every place are in the Pocket Guide.

Pozowinds

A suite and a loft run by the windsurf centre, about 30 metres from the beach, with your board stored at the centre.

Website

Guesthouse Ca’Artù

Two minutes on foot to the beach, so the water is right there. There is no windsurf storage, so plan where the board sleeps.

Book on Booking.com

Book links to Booking.com and Agoda may earn WindChaser a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Pocket Guide

Pozo Izquierdo, in your pocket

Everything you need on the beach in one PDF. Save it to your phone and it works with no signal.

01The month: wind, conditions and water02Every hazard, and the local rules03The launches, with maps04Getting there with kit05Stays, schools and kit hire06Where every score comes from

Pozo Izquierdo

When it's good

Is it for you?

Where to launch

Pozo Izquierdo bay

Salinas de Pozo

In an emergency

Getting there

Stay, learn and rent

Pozowinds

Guesthouse Ca’Artù

Pozowinds

Bjorn Dunkerbeck Windsurf Center

Pozowinds

LP Windsurf

Bjorn Dunkerbeck Windsurf Center

Pozo Izquierdo, in your pocket

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