South Bay, El Medano
South Bay (Playa Los Balos) is the main launch beach and this is where all the windsurfing centres are located. It is about a five minute walk from town.
The prevailing north-east trade wind blows cross-onshore from the left. The undisturbed wind inside of the bay makes it ideal for landing and launching from the sandy beach, and launching is possible at all tides. The area is suitable for beginners and improvers when the winds are lighter and the water flat, and for intermediates to advanced sailors for bump and jump sailing in the chop and rolling swell when the trade wind kicks in.
The entry and exit area to the sea is about 100m long and right in front of all the windsurfing centres. The kitesurfing launch area is exactly downwind (in the north-east trade wind) to the right of the windsurfing section although this is not signposted. Once on the water and past whatever shore break there may be, windsurfers and kiters share the same area. Further downwind to the right from where the kitesurfers launch is Pigs Bay which is to be avoided due to its rocky shoreline.
To the left of the 100m wide windsurfing launch area and towards the town is the swimming area where windsurfing and kitesurfing are prohibited. The wind in this location becomes light and gusty due to all the buildings so it’s not a good spot to sail anyway.
During low tide the water in front of the launch spot is flat, and the Bay provides suitable conditions on the inside to learn and practise beach starting and waterstarting as well as first time jibing. At high tide there can be choppy water in this area when it’s over 20 knots resulting in a small shore break, although some flatter sections can be found upwind closer to the town where the wind becomes gusty. The chop is normally between 0.5 to 1m up to about 800m from the beach, and from there bigger swells can be found, typically ranging from 0.5 to 1.5m high, which are suitable for wave riding and jumping.
The shore break at the launch beach can become large and challenging to get through if there is a bigger swell running and the wind rises over 25 knots. If strong north-east trade winds between 20 and 40 knots have been blowing for several days, there can be significant waves coming inshore to the beach. Despite this, the town and headland to the north of South Bay protect it from the bigger waves that can be found further north at El Cabezo Bay. The wind is also a little bit less in South Bay than El Cabezo Bay because of this protection.
As well as the different windsurf, kite, surfing and kayak centres along the beach front, there are also restaurants, cafes, shops and public showers.
