Tenerife, Spain
May · 57% rideableEl Médano
What it's actually like
El Médano is a town on the south coast of Tenerife with a long sandy beach, and Tenerife’s tourism board calls it a paradise for windsurfing and kitesurfing. Montaña Roja, a 166-hectare protected natural area of sand and wetlands, sits beside the beach. The north-east trade wind blows across the bay for much of the year.
July to September are the strongest months, with seven days in ten or more clearing 12 knots for three daylight hours in July and August. The rest of the year holds steady at just over half the days, except April at four in ten. The mean over rideable hours sits between 16 and 17 knots. The wind builds through the day: in July only about one day in eight is windy at 8am, and more than six in ten by 3pm. The trade wind is the alisio from the north-east; local centres add 5 to 10 knots to any forecast in it, because the island’s mountains speed it up. On a good August afternoon the bay is hooning.
Spotted something out of date? Tell us
Your month
When it's good
12 kt+ for 3+ daylight hours · kite
May · 57%. 18 rideable days in 31, 4.8 hours a day over 12 kt. Bring a book.
Not yet checked against a weather station or an independent model, so treat these figures as a guide.
At a glance
Is it for you?
Geek analysis
May in the record
57% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
In May the wind most often sits at 4 to 7 kt (28% of daylight hours). No daylight hour is over 12 kt on at least half the days. The best hours are 1pm and 4pm, each on 49% of days. See both charts in the full report
No weather station near enough to check these figures against.
May on the record
The month's own figures, not the year's average.
Take it with you
The full El Médano report
Seven sections over six pages, built from the same record as this page. A PDF you can read on the plane.
When it gets busy
Crowds
Aug · HighCompiled research puts the busy months in summer, June to August, with the strongest trade wind, and the quiet ones from November to February. It is not a head count.
On the water
What May usually does
May sits outside the best months here. 57% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
Your playground
Launches & safety
Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.
- Launch
- Hazard
- Parking
- School
- Stay
- Webcam
- Approximate
Local intel
Getting there & on the ground
Stay, schools & kit
Who works this beach
All 3 stays near El Médano on one page