Valdevaqueros

The playing field is huge but codified: the school zone to the east, the freestylers' spot in the centre, and the western point below the dune reserved for experienced riders chasing the shore break. With an established levante, the wind is perfectly 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 hold the bar.

The poniente, on the other hand, 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 to Los Lances, and Valde becomes once again the ground of self-sufficient kiters who love flat water. It is also here, at low tide, that 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 kites on the still-cool sand, the session, a beer at sunset facing an Africa clearly visible on clear days. Morocco is 14 km across the water, and on some evenings of gentle levante you can hear the call to prayer carried on the wind.