A-frame

Aaberg, Denny

Aaberg, Kemp

Abberton, Koby

Abbruzzi, Sid

Abellira, Reno

Abubo, Megan

academia and surfing

Adler, Tom

advertising and surfing

Aeder, Erik

aerial

Aguerre, Fernando

Aichner, Scott

Aikau, Clyde

Aikau, Eddie

Aipa, Ben

air-drop

airbrush

Airshow

Ala Moana

Alabama

alaia board

Alaska

alcohol and surfing

Alexander, Kala

Allen, Chuck

Alms, Paige

aloha shirt

Alter, Hobie

Alvarez, Pepe

Ancell, Kevin

Andaman Islands

Andersen, Lisa

Anderson, Craig

Anderson, Simon

Andino, Kolohe

Angel, Jose

angle

Angola

Angourie

Antarctica

Apocalypse Now

Arabian Sea

Aragon, Janice

Arakawa, Eric

Archbold, Matt

Arena, Eduardo

Ashton, Juan

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)

Atlantic Ocean

August, Robert

Aurness, Rolf

Auster, Ken

Australia

Avalon, Frankie

Azores

backdoor

backside

backside attack, Pipeline

backwash

bail out

Bain, Rob

Baja California

Baker, Bernie

Baker, Grant “Twiggy”

Baker, Tim

Bali

Ball, John “Doc”

Ballard, Bill

Ballard, Rochelle

balsa

Baltic Sea

Banks, Jim

Barbados

Barilotti, Steve

Barland, Michel

Barreda, Sergio “Gordo”

Barry, Michael

Bartholomew, Wayne

Baxter, Jackie

Bay of Bengal

Beach Boys, The

Beacham, Debbie

beachboys

beachbreak

Beachcomber Bills Grand Prix

Beachley, Layne

beavertail

Becker, Phil

Bedford-Brown, Stuart

Belgium

Bells Beach

Bendall, Ma and Pa

Bennett, Barry

Benson, Becky

Benson, Linda

Bermuda

Bertlemann, Larry

Beschen, Shane

String of 13 Spanish-held volcanic islands located in the Atlantic Ocean about 60 miles west of Morocco; sometimes called "the Hawaii of the Atlantic." While the western Canary islands have some vegetation and cultivation, the geologically younger eastern islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura—the region's best surf destinations—are nearly lunar in appearance, with just a few gray-green shrubs dotting the cracked fields of dried lava. 

The eastern Canaries produce consistent, frequently hollow waves of all sizes, and the easternmost island of Lanzarote has become a favorite destination for European surfers, particularly the British. Summertime brings surf to the south and east coasts, while bigger winter swells hit the north- and west-facing coasts. Though not as consistent as the eastern islands, especially during the summer months, the western islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife also receive high-quality surf. 

Poor road access across the Canaries means that dozens of breaks go unridden, but surf spots in well-populated Gran Canaria, as well as Lanzarote, often get crowded, and local surfers now sometimes gang up to prevent visitors from catching waves. Daytime coastal temperatures in the Canaries average between 75 and 85; water temperatures range from 65 to 72. Sirocco winds from the African mainland sometimes dust the Canaries with powdery sand from the Sahara.

 magazine travel correspondent Ian Harwood wrote in 1969 about the cheap living and the powerful, well-shaped, empty waves he'd discovered on Gran Canaria Island. More surfers followed, including Raul Dordal, one of the first wave-riders from the Basque region of Spain, who moved to the Canaries in the early '70s and became an integral part of the budding Tenerife surf scene. 

Aloha Surf, the islands' first surf shop, opened on Tenerife in 1980. By 2012, the Canaries were home to about a dozen surf shops, nearly 20 surf camps or schools, and over 15,000 surfers. The 1999 World Longboard Championships, won by California surfer Joel Tudor, were held on Fuerteventura. World pro tour qualifying events have been held in the Canaries since 2001. 

The Canary Islands' surf is featured in a small number of surf videos, including 

Canary Islands

Subscribe or Login

Encyclopedia of Surfing

The Sunday Joint

Encyclopedia of Surfing

The Sunday Joint