Lanzarote

About five kilometers of sand under the sheer wall of the Risco de Famara, one of the most beautiful beaches in the Canaries and the island's surf-school classroom. Peaks stand up along the whole length, gentle at lower tide on a small day, and there is always a stretch with nobody on it. On a big winter swell the beach closes out and the currents pull hard toward the cliffs, so learners keep to the days the schools are out. The trade wind gets up by early afternoon; surf the morning, then hide behind a rock and watch the kites.

The resort beach of Costa Teguise and the windsurf and kitesurf capital of the island, which tells you what the wind does here. Small waves peel over sand and a reef at the north end on the trade windswell and on the occasional E swell, and the schools work the corner the sails leave free. It is the beginner option on the east coast and the one within walking distance of a hotel, a sunbed and a coffee. Do not expect much on a still day, and give the boards with masts a wide berth.

The fishing village at the west end of the bay is where most surf trips to Lanzarote sleep, eat and paddle out. A handful of sand and reef peaks break in front of the houses and the little harbour, easy enough on a small day for schools and midweek improvers, quick and sectioning when the swell picks up. The currents along the rocks get strong on size, and the peak in front of the village is the busiest lineup on the island. Sunset here, with the Risco turning orange and fresh fish on the tables, is why people come back.

The beach at the very top of the island, beside the village where the ferries leave for La Graciosa. Playa de la Cantería is open to everything from the north, so the peaks are punchy and the water moves; on a medium day it is a fun, empty beach break for a confident intermediate, on a big one it is a washing machine. There is nothing here but a car park, a few fishermen and the wind, and that is the appeal. Check it when the Famara side is too big or too crowded, and eat in Orzola afterwards.

A quiet east-coast village with a small harbour, a beach and the friendliest lineup on this side of the island. Reef and sand peaks break either side of the harbour and come alive on the summer trade windswell, when the north-west coast is blown out and everyone with a board is looking east. It is a fun, playful wave rather than a serious one, urchins on the reef excepted, and the fish restaurants on the front make the afternoon easy.

The wave the island is known for: a short, thick left that lurches out of deep water onto a sharp lava shelf right in front of the village of La Santa, throws a barrel and ends on rock. It holds well overhead on a winter NW swell and is called the Canarian Pipeline for a reason. The lineup is small and tight and has surfed it for decades; a visitor who paddles straight to the peak will not enjoy the morning. Watch a few sets from the wall first, count the boards, and be honest about whether this is your wave.

The long right on the point just north of the village, and the wave most visiting experts actually ride at La Santa. It walls up and sections along the lava for a hundred meters or more, holds serious size, and asks for a long paddle out past urchin-covered rock and a longer one back if you lose your board. Mid tide upward keeps water over the reef; at low water the inside bares its teeth. The crowd is thinner than at El Quemao but no more forgiving of a drop-in.

At the western end of Famara bay, a short walk from the Caleta, a left that on a solid NW swell runs a long way over reef and rock, with walls that let you draw big lines. It needs size to work and gets hollower and faster as the tide drops, with rocks waiting on the inside. On the right winter day it is the best wave in the bay, and most locals say it is where you go when El Quemao is too heavy or too crowded.

A heavy, hollow right over lava reef on the east coast, a short way from the Manrique cave complex the spot is named after. It sleeps through most of the winter and wakes on the summer trade windswell and on E to NE swells, when it throws thick barrels onto a reef that is shallow, sharp and unforgiving at low tide. The lineup is small and local and expects you to know the rules before you arrive. Advanced only; if you cannot find the channel from the shore, that is your answer.