Valdevaqueros

The playing field is vast but clearly mapped out: the school zone to the east, the freestylers' spot in the middle, and the western tip below the dune reserved for experienced riders chasing the shore break. With a settled levante, the wind is perfect side-shore and the sea builds into short chop mid-bay. When the wind picks up beyond 35 knots, which happens regularly in July and August, Valde turns into a wind tunnel where only riders on 7m and under can hold the bar.

The poniente, for its part, turns the spot into a more accessible but more fickle side-onshore flat: it comes in gusts and the currents run along the beach from east to west. The schools then move their sessions over to Los Lances, and Valde becomes once again the ground of independent kiters who like flat water. This is also where, at low tide, the windsurfers bring out their slalom boards: the spot is legendary for speed sessions.

Beyond the sport, Valde has its ritual: coffee on arrival, rigging the wings on sand that is still cool, a session, a beer at sunset facing Africa, clearly visible on a clear day. Morocco lies 14 km across the water, and on some evenings of gentle levante you can hear the call to prayer carried on the wind.