What to expect at kitespot Los Charcos de Cotillo?
In Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands of Spain and a 1 hour drive from Fuerteventura airport you’ll find kitespot Los Charcos de Cotillo with flat water next to the shore and waves behind the stone reef.
This spot is small and shared with swimmers. We only have enough water to kite when the tide is medium to high. Meaning that there are about 3-4 hours per day to kite. If the tide is low, there are rocks and not enough space to kite.
Thermal Wind
The best wind direction is North or North East (thermal wind called Alisios), which blows between April and July most frequently. It blows between 12 to 20 knots and it’s not gusty. So normally you’ll need a 12-9m kite (70 kg).
If a storm comes from the North or the North East, it is also possible to kite at this kitespot, but the wind can be a little gusty.
Water conditions
At kitespot Los Charcos de Cotillo the water is flat and shallow next to the sandy shore. 150m in front of you (the shore has a C-shape) the sand ends and there are rocks. That is the point where you will end if you drop your kite in the water and are not able to relaunch it quickly.
With high tide, about 100m away from seashore there are some rocks, which you have to pass over taking advantage of a wave. If not, you may crash on them and hurt yourself. After the rocks, there is some choppy water and you will be in the waves zone!
Launch Area
Even though the whole Charco is for kitesurfing (there is a sign claiming that), in practice there are more swimmers than kiters.
The launch area is very small and gets crowded easily by both kite surfers and swimmers sunbathing. Due to that, please wind up your lines when you are done or having a break.
Lessons & Gear
Get your lessons and buy or repair your gear at Tarpons Bay, Line-up Fuerteventura or Magma Kiteschool.
Level of riding
You should be an intermediate to advanced rider to kite at this kitespot Los Charcos de Cotillo. This due to the small launch area, small space on the water and rocks in the shore. Where you will end up if you don’t manage to relaunch your kite in less than 1 minute. Or if you don’t know how to go upwind and the necessity of avoiding rocks by calculating when the wave comes while kiting.
Warnings
Be careful with the rocks so you don’t hurt yourself or damage your gear. Dodge the local swimmers and kite with medium to high tide to have enough water and less rocks on the surface.
There is no rescue service.
Facilities
You can park very close to the launch area on the sand with rocks, but the space is very limited. There are no other facilities, so bring your own food & drinks and keep it clean, please!
Sightseeing
As kitespot Los Charcos de Cotillo is subjected to tide, there is also plenty of time when the tide is low to go sightseeing. The main places are the lighthouse, the castle and other beaches located on the south of the village El Cotillo, such as Piedra Playa.
In the past, El Cotillo was a very important port, which is why the lighthouse Faro del Tostón was built. The increasing importance of this port led to the construction of the Castle of El Tostón to defend the island from attacks from the north of Africa.
Nearby kitespot
Make sure to also check wavespot Piedra Playa and kitespot Flag Beach.