El Mèdano's big sandy bay – also known as 'Playa Sur' – is the classic Tenerife spot. Challenging but doable for beginners, it's also ideal for improving wavesailors: great for daily progress in wave heights of 1m to 2m. Those who like it bigger head further out to play in the Atlantic swell: kiters generally ride the south of the bay while windsurfers tend to stay further upwind. It’s mostly the amenities that make this place so popular though. Town and apartments are walkable while kit can either be hired at the centre, or store your own in containers right at the spot. At 'Flashpoint’ you can get food and drink all day long, complete with a view of the water. In such a relaxed setting, most people don’t hold the gusty wind close inshore against the place. But don’t be fooled by the crescent-shaped bay – you can’t drift away, yet it's a rocky shore downwind with seriously limited landing potential.

In Mistral the waves at Torre di Gaffe are among the best Sicily has to offer. Not that steep, but nice and long with two or three connectable sections. It's only recommended for windsurfing though, as the beach is narrow and the wind inshore is very gusty. Bring boots – the rocky sands are peppered with sea urchins!

When the wind backs northerly and doesn’t reach El Médano any more, Güimar is always an option. You rarely see kiters here – there's little room to launch off the narrow beach, while just a handful of riders inside the breakwaters would make it crowded. Even for windsurfing, 35km is a long way to drive for flat water: there are no waves here, just chop and a bit of swell further out – if you're longing for more, check out the other side of the headland. Or launch your foil, but only recommended at hightide... Showers are available at the northern end of the beach and parking is easy.

The 6.5km long Brouwersdam connects Goeree with Schouwen Duiveland, isolating the North Sea from the inland Grevelingenmeer. Windsurfers and kiters have long gathered here to cut loose, and its popularity remains intact today. Away from the water, it’s all about chatting with kindred spirits over a well-deserved beer or BBQ in the evening. The dyke is drivable and the surrounding dunes and beaches offer an amazing backdrop – it’s just like being on holiday. In fact, this area gets more sun than anywhere else in Holland. Conditions are usually freeride: the stronger and more onshore the wind, the choppier it gets – rarely bigger than a metre though, as a ring of sandbars about 5km offshore absorbs most North Sea swell. Only at high tide in stormy west to north-westerlies do any waves wash over to break feebly on the dyke. There are three launches: the main spot, roughly in the middle of the dam, is also the kite zone (all the way to the southern beach pavilion at 'De Kou', marked by yellow buoys). The southern can occasionally host good waves at high tide. The second spot is at the northern end of the main beach, where you can park right by the water. Windsurfing only though! The third is at the northern end of the dyke: beyond the slipway, a bay suitable for all wind directions nestles amidst high dunes with a sandy shore downwind. Although not officially allowed, kiting is still tolerated here.

An excellent and hence popular kite spot. Low-pressure winds blow freely and consistently onto Lac d'Hourtin, as does the thermal. Pleasant parking under pines with showers and toilets rounds things off nicely. The kite zone (which should definitely be observed – the swimmers are all too quick to alert the beach patrol!) is between the harbour and Lachanau. 500m wide, the lake’s whole east bank is a protected nature reserve. The shore drops off so gradually that windsurf blasters have to wade out a long way to find fin-deep water.

Right in the city centre, Pelican Point sits on the northern bank of the Swan River while Lucky Bay lies diagonally opposite on the south bank. Both offer slalom sailors room for long runs with silhouetted views of downtown, and a predominantly cross-onshore SW sea breeze and shallow standing-depth sandbar downwind make it safe for learning. But get up early on the weekend, as parking is limited and the rangers issue $80 tickets. There’s more room both on and off the water in Safety Bay, and the wind’s less gusty on the coast too. It’s a safe sailing environment protected by a long sandbank in all wind directions, there’s even a grassy bank for rigging by the yacht club. Outside the bay there’s some swell, but for real waves drive 30km south to Mandurah. It needs a big swell for the reef at 'Avalon’ to work but then it’s a perfect left-hander. In west or northerly wind head for 'Geeries’ – a beach-break whose waves might not be so clean, but can be a lot bigger. 'Garden Island’ protects Woodman’s Point, making conditions much tamer. This jutting peninsular has beaches on all three sides; kites dominate 'South Beach’ with its cross-onshore wind, while the windsurfers rule 'West Beach’. 'North Beach’ offers freestylers a mirror-flat playground, although novices shouldn’t stray beyond the standing-depth area in the cross-offshore winds. Crazy Waves, south of the marina in Fremantle is a winter spot. When it’s really going off, wind and swell serve a wild mixed-up wave cocktail over a sandbank that extends way out sea – bump-and-jump nirvana! Leighton is a sandy beach south of Cottesloe, good for jumping with plenty of space. Small swells will teach you all about shorebreak, but be very careful when it’s big. Dutch Inn is one of the best spots near the city with a clean wave over a reef 200m offshore. Watch for rocks just under water in the shallows. A whole row of potential launches line the beaches of Scarborough, the sandbars are always shifting so follow the locals. It might look fairly tame from shore, but the currents can get strong. Sometimes windsurfers head 3km out to Little Island from the beach above Hillary’s Boat Harbour searching for the sick waves behind the island. If you feel the urge, never try this alone and let the harbour know when you’re back. It’s more relaxed at Pinnaroo Point with easy learning conditions in front of a plush car-park with grassy areas and showers. That’s the end of the urban spots – then it’s another world north of the city limits, getting hotter and dryer with each passing kilometre. The adventure begins here, both for surf tourists and Perth locals keen for a change of scene. Only a few set up camp at Ledge Point, best known as the starting point for January’s annual long-distance race to Lancelin – one of Western Australia’s favourite and most adaptable spots. Lancelin Bay is protected by a reef 500m out, offering an ideal training arena including 150m of standing-depth alongside comfortable parking, grassy areas, showers and toilets. Depending on the swell, chest to mast-high waves peel onto Lancelin Reef. Four breaks offer some choice: left is 'Main Break’, to the right 'Passage Shallows’ (better with kite fins – there’s a clue why in the name) then 'Hole in the Wall’, a right-hander so not ideal for riding. At the northern end of the bay, the perversely named 'South Passage’ is the cleanest wave: launch next to the pub to save a long upwind slog afterwards. In the next bay north there’s loads of room, and plans for another kite beach. If Lancelin gets full, take a 4x4 about 30 minutes along a rough track to Wedge Island – a sick break with no crowding guaranteed.

Up amongst the mountains in the north of the Island, just west of Port Hardy, the remote Lake Nimpkish enjoys nuclear winds and a real taste of wilderness – plus the bonus of catching fresh fish right off the beach. Long summer days of sailing with almost no-one else out, but rains can hammer down so do check the forecast before going. Just north of Clayoquot Sound, the hidden gem of Nootka Island is only accessible by boat or plane. Clay Hunter runs Tatchu Surf Adventures from Pebble Point, this rustic surf camp gets good wind from April to October. The whole area is bursting with places to ride, from bump-and-jump to full-on waves – best explored with a guide. On the tip of the Tofino peninsula, Chestermans Beach is divided by a long sandy point and island that make for great surf, dead-flat water and everything in-between depending on wind and swell directions. If winds are onshore at North Chesterman they can be perfect cross to cross-off at South Chestermans – a popular surfing beach, and particularly good for family groups wanting to rent a house right on the coast. The waves can be twice as big just a few minutes south off the beautiful wide-open beach at Cox Bay. A super-fun spot to ride and jump waves in a smaller swell, but winds can often be light with huge surf that’s tough to handle for all but the most experienced. A little further south-east into the Pacific Rim National Park, Long Beach is Vancouver Island’s watersports capital. This vast beach attracts all sorts of surfcraft, but even with the growing throngs of beachgoers it never seems crowded – and with miles of open sands, it probably never will. Wickannish, or Wick Beach as it’s known locally, continues on from Long Beach. Winds rarely get strong here unless a cyclone’s tracking through, but afternoon sea breezes can often reach 10-20 knots. Huge waves and strong currents mean it’s really only for the experienced. Heading inland to the head of the Alberni Inlet, Lake Nitinat is on the Ditidaht Indian Reserve outside Port Alberni. It’s a popular spot for weekend warriors, with consistent venturi winds, camping right at the water’s edge and a killer sauna. The long pebble beach is great for rigging and conditions are fun freestyle, freeride or bump-&-jump on flat water to small chop. Back on the coast, Bamfield is more of a local 'secret spot’ since it can be hard to get to and is literally at the end of the road from anywhere. If conditions are good, people often settle for somewhere else to sail on the route in, but the intrepid can be rewarded with epic conditions. As winds veer, just drive around the point to find alternative launches. Jordan River is one of the few genuine down-the-line waveriding spots on the Island, but it can be tricky to predict: since much of this south-western side of Vancouver Island is blocked by Washington State, it relies on fickle, short-lived NW swells to work – it’s pure joy on its day though. 'Kite Beach’ at Victoria is probably the most popular spot on southern Vancouver Island. It’s pretty consistent and many of the town’s workforce grab short sessions before, during or after work when it’s on. Over on the mainland in one of Vancouver’s trendier neighbourhoods, Kitsilano Beach is the best of a few sailable spots around the city. Since it’s protected by Vancouver Island there’s rarely any swell, but if it’s windy in Vancouver this is the place to head as the sweeping sands offer a good chance of a sideshore launch. Up towards the mountains, just 20 minutes south of Whistler the glacier fed lake at Squamish is not only favourite for skiers, mountain bikers and climbers who want a change of scene. Meanwhile it has become a mecca for kiting and windsurfing as you can sail in 20-30 knots every day for 60 days straight. Fun flat water blastin and all of the local schools are based here. In fact it's actually not a lake, but a glacier fed river water on top of ocean salt water in the bay.

Complete with a kite and windsurf centre, Sigri is the main event on the sun-baked west coast. A road zigzags through hills and valleys to this old fishing village, where the wind always blows a Force or two stronger as it accelerates between mountainous hinterland and the island of Megalonisi. From the flat water inside you can gradually edge out to a windswell that rolls through the channel and into the bay. Other treats include a freestyle playground by the small bay to the west – and ask the guys at the centre to show you their secret wave spot!

Conditions on the islands of 'Fuseta', 'Tavira' and 'Cabanas' are very similar. In summer it usually only blows a gentle south-westerly breeze, although deep low-pressures send disorganised jump-ramps rolling onto the beach. The Ria is mostly dry at low tide and the riverbed's muddy. Most locals choose to launch at 'Ilha de Cabanas', where there's now a kite school and a shop. One-way boat transfers cost the price of a Galão.

The beautiful village of Terrasini lies 15km west of Palermo. It gets very crowded in summer, so you’ll find numerous guesthouses, B&Bs, restaurants and bars here. Spiaggia di Magaggiari is well-known among surfers in winter, although summer usually means freeride conditions.

Praia de Ferragudo is almost completely cut off from the sea by enormous breakwaters. It's actually a decent beginner venue, yet hardly anyone dares because of the river's very poor water quality. Also an option in south to south-westerlies, as even in a big swell there’s never more than half a metre of chop running onto this sheltered beach. Meanwhile also the sewage facilities from Portimão are working properly.