Where you learn makes a huge difference to how fast you learn. A week at the right spot can get you riding upwind; a week at the wrong one can mean waiting on the beach or getting tumbled in the shore break.
What makes a good spot to learn
- Flat, shallow water. Standing depth means you can walk back upwind, relaunch easily and practise body drags without swimming. Lagoons are ideal.
- Steady wind, not too strong. Lots of days between about 15 and 20 knots. Very gusty or very strong wind makes learning hard and less safe.
- Side-shore or side-onshore wind, so you drift along or towards the beach, not out to sea.
- Space and a school. Wide beaches without too many rocks, buildings or crowds, and a school with radio helmets or a boat.
- Warm water helps more than you'd think: you'll spend a lot of time in it.
Below are spots that tick most of these boxes, grouped by when they're at their best. The windy-day numbers come from five years of weather data (days with at least two daytime hours of 15+ knots).
Winter and early spring (December to May): the Caribbean
Cabo de la Vela in Colombia has one of the steadiest winds of any spot we track: in most months of the dry season it has 24–30 windy days a month, over a big, shallow bay with water around 25–26°C. It's remote and simple, which is part of the charm.
Holbox in Mexico is the easier trip: a car-free island with a shallow lagoon. Its windiest months are March to May (22–23 windy days a month), with 14–18 from December to February, and the water stays around 24–27°C.
Spring (March to May): Red Sea and Dakhla
The Red Sea comes alive in spring. El Gouna has big shallow lagoons and many schools, and from March to May it gets about 17–20 windy days a month, with the water warming from 20 to 24°C.
Dakhla in Morocco has a huge, flat lagoon and one of the most reliable winds in the region: about 21 windy days in March and April and 23 in May. The air is warm, but bring a 4/3: the water stays around 18–20°C.
Summer (June to September): Egypt, Dakhla, Fuerteventura, Greece
Summer is peak season for most beginner spots in and around Europe.
- El Gouna and Hurghada: the windiest time of the year, with 20–25 windy days a month and water at 26–29°C.
- Dakhla: 23–27 windy days a month from May to September.
- Sotavento, Fuerteventura: a famous lagoon that fills at high tide, best in June and July (18–20 windy days), with water at 22–23°C.
- Limnos (Keros) and Prasonisi in Greece: flat-water spots with the summer meltemi wind and water at 23–27°C. Prasonisi's wind is partly local, so the model numbers there are on the low side.
Autumn (August to November): Brazil
From August, the trade winds of north-east Brazil take over, with water at 27–29°C and almost no rain. Cumbuco has the famous Cauípe lagoon nearby and its best months are August to October (20–25 windy days). Ilha do Guajiru has a shallow lagoon behind a sand island and a longer season, still around 17 windy days in November. Both are busy with schools in season.
Closer to home: Europe in spring and autumn
If you live in northern Europe, you don't always need a flight. Leucate in the south of France has a large, shallow lagoon (Étang de Leucate) and many schools, with the strong Tramontane wind, most often from autumn to spring (11–16 windy days a month from November to March). Brouwersdam in the Netherlands has a big flat-water lake on one side of the dam, windiest from October to January. Bring a thick wetsuit: the water drops to 6–8°C in winter.
A few tips for your first trip
- Book a course of at least 9–12 hours with a certified school (IKO or VDWS). Spread over 3–4 days is ideal.
- Pick the windiest weeks in the numbers above: more windy days means fewer lessons cancelled.
- Don't buy gear before your course. Rent or use the school's until you're riding.
Every spot above has its own page with all twelve months and nearby schools, so you can find the right week for your trip.
