2002 was the last time
Mr SUP Lanzarote
I set foot on the volcanic island of
Lanzarote. As the plane hurtled towards the
Arrecife airport runway I remember gazing
down through a cloudless sky and spotting
the island’s reefs, points and offshore
bombies all pulsing with juice.
At the suggestion of Rob Small (Crantock,
Cornwall based Fanatic rider) I messaged
Christian Diaz of SUP Lanzarote before
jetting off. Christian is Mr SUP on ‘the rock’.
He introduced stand up to the island and set
up one of the first stand up paddle board
schools, based out of the Sands Hotel.
At the time I didn’t realise that being able to
see defined lines of swell from that height
meant Lanza was pumping. It was only
when my travelling/surfing buddy and I
dropped down the steady incline towards
Famara beach, having picked up our hire
car, that we realised just how big it was.
For the majority of our stay the status quo
remained and we spent our days seeking
shelter and waves that wouldn’t wallop us!
My return visit was extremely different. With
our seven month daughter Molly in tow and
grandparents, we were searching for a
family holiday with a bit of SUP thrown in
for good measure.
With the focus on family time rather than
brine time, this would be a chance to
unwind, introduce Molly to her first overseas
experience and give Fi (my wife) a bit of a
break before returning to work.
Having taught, coached and guided many
Lanza visitors in the ways of stand up, he
has now stepped away, slightly, from the
school. Instead he can be found searching
out those heavy Lanzarote waves or scoring
full power windsurfing sessions and
spending time with his own family.
Graciously, Christian offered to hook us up
with some Fanatic SUP kit, which would see
us right throughout the entirety of our trip.
That forecast during my 2002 visit was
hectic to say the least – the Hawaii of
Europe sure living up to its name.
With Magicseaweed only calling for 1ft swell
this time around, I was dubious as to
whether we would score any juice. The
infamous NE trade wind of Costa Teguise
wasn’t showing any sign of switching on for
windsurfing shenanigans either.
A short hop
For anyone thinking of heading here purely to paddle surf, it’s worth keeping in mind that most breaks are reef in
nature. That means entries and exits can be tricky and there’s a risk of bouncing off jagged lava in some places.
However, there are plenty of locations, such as Famara, that are less scary for newbie surfers – at least with small
swells.
With a good exchange rate and surprisingly cheap local prices – even in tourist hotspots – Lanzarote is great for
families looking to escape for a few weeks. If you’re into stand up paddling then you’ll definitely be in the right spot.
Huge thanks must go to Christian Diaz of SUP Lanzarote who helped out massively with this trip. A true gent, always
happy to pass on his wealth of knowledge regarding waves and the island, he’s definitely someone you should tap up
before heading out to the ‘the rock’. You can find out more about Christian by visiting suplanzarote.com
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