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I recently visited Gran Canaria for the first time and found the place to be very different from anywhere I’ve been before. As a regular Lanzo boy, I thought I would be disappointed, but when we banked to land at the airport, I was greeted by a visual display more akin to Tahiti than this Atlantic archipelago.
It was a last minute booking, I nearly didn’t go, but when I checked the WAM, the swell pattern was looking pretty stacked up throughout the island, so we thought ‘what the hell’ and booked a flight.
Last minute meant that I didn’t have time to find a place up north so we took the plunge and stayed in the south, grabbing a rental car from the airport. Soft racks on, and we headed off for some waves.
Oddly it was almost flat in the south, even though the WAM and other reporting systems were showing it to be first rate. I wasn’t sure why, but we checked out the southern breaks anyway, just to be sure. The further west we went, the flatter it got, and so we jumped on the highway and headed north.
Gran Canaria confused the hell out of me. The road signs seem like they half got you there, and then abandoned you at the last minute. Or maybe I just lost it for a while. But we headed to the city beaches first of all. I found my way through old town Las Palmas and to Las Canteras. I parked up and a bunch of locals were clocking the boards, immediately recognizing I’m not from round here. That or the rental car gave me up.
As soon as I got to the beach front I saw a sponger slip down the steepest face on the south end of the beach, onto a sucky little face and disappear into the sand. Shit, not my usual scene, 3 ft and clean at Saunton. Check Ca Ñoño, where you can have the best bocadillo de calamares. Or go to the left when you see a restaurant called Canta María. On the street you will see Bombay café, then Mundaka and on the next street Café Central (closed on Mondays). At Café Central you can have really nice sandwiches and burgers.
We cruised around the edge of the city, to Confital. There’s a great piece of graffiti on the road approaching, on the left, you’ll know if you see it, staring down at you. Confital was going off, really nice double overhead, a gentle take off then steep drop. Spongers were pulling into the tubes at the south end. One guy returned with his board clean in two, which I guess happens a lot here. Its just one of those places. Big trucks and close knit locals, but they are pretty low key, just territorial pissing really.
All along the north it was really powerful, El Circo, Vagabundos, all twelve to fifteen feet, way too much for me, and not my kind of wave really. The outer breaks were monsters, but it was great to watch. Again the locals were all over it, if you live here, you surf it well.
One smaller break, although I’m not sure which one, almost invited me in, but just as I turned to take the boards off the car, I noticed the horizon had disappeared. One clean up set later, and out of the three locals in, only one was still out there. The rest were negotiating the boulder paddle in. Each one acknowledged me when they came past, no expression, just another day taking it on.
On the last day I visited Arinaga, which I kind of stumbled upon really. Out of the raging wind and picking up some good swell it was a good six foot. The local boys were just hanging out, filming and shouting at each other. There’s a great little café where you can sit and watch it all happening, which I made my home for a while.
All things considered, it’s not quite the place to find the glide I’m looking for, but I must admit since I’ve got back I’ve been considering the shortboard revolution again. But last night I watched Chris Bailey’s The Hub once more, and firmly put that idea to bed.
A great place to visit, with plenty of beautiful landscape and with the exception of Playa Del Ingles, a pretty mellow scene. The pace is slow, even though the waves are fast, and I found a real affinity with the place. All except that lemon spirit they bring to the table at the end of a meal. When they leave you the bottle, you know you’re in trouble.
Posted by Howard on 22:23:47 12/12/2006
Comments
:// Yeha, we went there two years ago now. If you make friends with the locals its great, but if you dont they will rip you off.
But we had fun, and great waves!
Salut.
Posted by Singa on 22:59:49 12/12/2006
:// I´m happy you loved my island,everyone should go there at least one time in their life!! But as I always say,if you go to a new place please respect the place you visit, go to local restaurants and cafés,as people there live from tourism.I know localism is very strong there,but lot of people before you went there and dind´t respect anything,so they thought they had to defend their place or otherwise uncontroled tourism would damage it.Canarian people love their island and are really nice people once you make friends with them,just show them you love the place you are and they will love you for their lives!!
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