Surfing in the Canary Islands

The Canaries are the one place in Europe where you surf through winter without a thick suit, and that explains everything else.

Seven islands, reefs on almost every exposure, and a position off Africa that puts them squarely in the path of North Atlantic swell. The season runs from October to March, exactly when the mainland turns uncomfortable. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura hold the best-known breaks; Tenerife and Gran Canaria offer more varied conditions and easier logistics.

The thing to understand: these are mostly reef waves, over volcanic rock, not beach breaks. They are hollower, less forgiving, and the bottom punishes a fall. An intermediate arriving expecting the Landes has picked the wrong destination.

The islands also have sheltered bays where schools work all year, so learning is possible, simply not on the breaks people talk about.

Who it suits: the solid intermediate and the experienced surfer wanting winter swell with bearable water and a four-hour flight. Beginners too, but taught, and on the right beaches.