A winter trade wind over warm water
November to April is the wing season in Cape Verde, the months when the northeast trade wind sits over the islands. The sea is 26 °C in November and does not drop below 22 °C, and on Boa Vista most winter days are sunny. Two islands matter for a wing trip, Sal and Boa Vista, and each has three wing schools around one town: Santa Maria on Sal, Sal Rei on Boa Vista.
Visitors from the UK make up the biggest group of hotel guests in the country, and holiday flights go direct from the UK to Sal. A week of lessons fits into an ordinary package holiday.
No wing school on Sal or Boa Vista offers an eFoil. If a motor board for the calm days matters to you, the Canary Islands have eFoil schools. The basics of the sport are in our wingfoil guide.
Sal: a bay, a point and a long east beach
Wing riders on Sal stay in Santa Maria. Surf Hub, ION CLUB and Kite Beach Water Sports Center all work from the town or its beach, which runs for more than 4 km, and the three spots they use are a short walk or drive apart. The wind meets each one from a different angle.
Santa Maria bay
The bay in front of town is a good foil and freeride spot. Kite Beach Water Sports Center placed its wing center in front of the Morabeza hotel for the calm, clear water, and its lessons run with a boat alongside the whole time. ION CLUB starts beginners on wing from its center on Santa Maria beach. Right in front of that center the wind blows side offshore, and ION leaves that water to experienced kiters. The Riu hotels that Sportif sells in its packages have their own windsurf, wing, kite and SUP center on site. Sportif describes the launch as a sandy beach with some shore break.
Ponta Leme
About 15 minutes on foot along the bay from ION's beach center, Ponta Leme sits on the east side of the bay. The wind comes diagonally offshore from the left, side off to side shore, over flat water near the beach with some chop further out, and the flat water leads to a point break. It is a spot the local riders use for wing. ION runs its second Sal center here, with wing rental and lessons for intermediate and advanced riders on Fanatic and Duotone gear. It is also the only ION base on the island that stores your own kit.
Kite Beach
On the east coast, about 5 minutes' drive from Santa Maria, Kite Beach is a long beach with two big kite stations and little crowding. Here the trade wind blows diagonally onshore from the northeast. Surf Hub Cabo Verde teaches wing on this beach and drives its students out from their hotels, and because of the reef it teaches only at high tide. Kite Beach Water Sports Center has its main school here.
Ponta Preta, with its rocks, is no place for a wave beginner, and the northern spots, reached on a gravel road, are for expert riders only. ION CLUB's gear may not be taken to Ponta Preta or anywhere else away from its centers.
Off the land into Sal Rei bay on Boa Vista
Sal Rei, about 10 minutes by car from the airport, is where the Boa Vista schools sit. The wind blows off the land across the bay, which flattens the water. Close to the beach it is gusty for the first 200 to 300 meters, then steadier further down the bay. Out in front, the small island of Ilhéu de Sal Rei keeps the shore break mostly harmless.
Praia Carlota, a 10 minute walk south of town, is where the Duotone Pro Center (DPC) Boa Vista and Kitekriol teach. The lagoon there is mostly flat, with a little shore break on the windier days, and DPC has a rescue boat on the water. Downwind of the two centers, Morabeza Beach gets freer wind and more shore break. Further south, the shore break in front of the big hotels can be hard work. Farol de Morro Negro, a good hour away by 4x4, is side shore with a few waves.
Planet Allsports Boavista works differently. It teaches wing from a boat, so the instructor stays close, in groups of at most four with a Bluetooth headset in each helmet. On its stretch the wind blows diagonally offshore from the right. With the boat there, the school counts that as good learning water.
Ponta Antonia in the north has flat water sheltered from the swell and a steady side onshore wind.
If you want strong, constant wind every single day, Planet Allsports says, Boa Vista will probably disappoint you.
Which beach for which level
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| Level | Sal | Boa Vista |
|---|---|---|
| First lessons | Santa Maria bay with boat support; Kite Beach at high tide with Surf Hub | Praia Carlota lagoon; Sal Rei bay with a boat |
| Riding on your own | Santa Maria bay; Ponta Leme | Sal Rei bay and Praia Carlota on rental gear; Morabeza Beach with more shore break |
| Experts only | Ponta Preta; the northern spots | Outside Reef, with a boat |
DPC Boa Vista asks only that you can swim. Foil experience helps but is not required. The center says most students glide above the water within 2 to 3 hours and fly for the first time in under 6. Planet Allsports suggests five course days for a complete beginner.
What the six schools charge
Three schools on each island teach wing, and the Riu hotels on Sal have a center of their own. Every price is in euros. At most schools the hourly rate falls as you book more hours; Surf Hub's group courses are the exception and stay at about €30 to €35 an hour from 3 hours to 11.
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| School | Where | Lesson list prices |
|---|---|---|
| Surf Hub Cabo Verde | Sal, Kite Beach | Group, booked as a pair: 3 h €90, 5 h €165, 7 h €240, 9 h €305, 11 h €365. Private: 2 h €120 up to 10 h €530 |
| Kite Beach Water Sports Center | Sal, Santa Maria bay | Per person, group of up to 3 / alone: 2 h €85 / €130, 4 h €170 / €260, 6 h €245 / €350, 8 h €325 / €465, 10 h €405 / €580, 12 h €485 / €695 |
| ION CLUB Sal | Sal, Santa Maria beach and Ponta Leme | - |
| DPC Boa Vista | Boa Vista, Praia Carlota | Private: 1 h €100, 2 h €170, 6 h €400. Semi-private: 1 h €90, 2 h €110 |
| Kitekriol | Boa Vista, Praia Carlota | Private: 1 h €85, then €76 an hour from 2 h, €70 from 6 h, €67 from 10 h. Two sharing, per person: 1 h €60, then €50 an hour from 2 h, €45 from 6 h, €40 from 10 h |
| Planet Allsports Boavista | Boa Vista, Sal Rei bay | - |
What each school includes
Surf Hub Cabo Verde sells its group courses only to pairs, so a solo traveler books private hours. Every course includes the shuttle from your hotel to Kite Beach. There is no wing rental.
Kite Beach Water Sports Center publishes its terms. You get your money back if there is not enough wind for a lesson, can cancel free up to 24 hours ahead, and lose half the price on the day itself. Its page says “We do not form groups”, which reads as a promise not to put you with strangers: the group price is for people who arrive together. Gear and hotel transport both ways are included.
ION CLUB puts a wetsuit, harness, leash, vest and helmet in every course, and its instructors speak English, German, Croatian, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. You get to the center on your own; there is no hotel shuttle. If you have paid for rental and the wind does not come, you can take a SUP or surfboard out at no extra charge.
On Boa Vista, DPC teaches private or semi-private on Duotone gear, with helmets and impact vests on hand, and its instructors are trained in first aid. Kitekriol works with local instructors and includes all the equipment in its hourly rate. Planet Allsports teaches on Duotone and KT gear between the end of October and the end of March or early April. It publishes no wing price, so ask for a quote.
Renting once you can ride
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| School | Rental list prices |
|---|---|
| Kite Beach Water Sports Center, Sal | Complete gear: 4 h €101, 1 day €131, 3 days €237, 1 week €366, extra day €50. Wing and board only, 1 week €359 |
| ION CLUB, Ponta Leme, Sal | - |
| DPC Boa Vista | Full gear: half day €90, 1 day €105, 3 days €225, 7 days €425, 10 days €525 |
| Planet Allsports Boavista | - |
At Kite Beach Water Sports Center, rental days run back to back and a windless day is not refunded, so a week of rental is a bet on the forecast. The center also rents wetsuits (€18 a day, €81 a week) and stores your own gear. Kitekriol stores private kit from €14 a day or €98 a week, with 25 % extra if you leave a kite and a wing. Planet Allsports hands rental boards only to riders who already hold height and foil the first meters. If you bring your own setup, the wing foil gear guide covers wing sizes and boards.
Wind by month, and the sea at Santa Maria and Sal Rei
The trade wind belt sits near the Canaries in summer and moves down to Cape Verde in winter, so from November to April the islands get a steady, moderate northeasterly. January to April is the most reliable stretch. On Boa Vista the average is 15 to 20 knots, rarely more, and the trade blows on 60 to 80 % of days.
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| Month | Days with force 4 or more, Sal airport | Sea, Santa Maria | Sea, Sal Rei |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | About 3 in 4 | 23 °C | 23 °C |
| February | About 3 in 4 | 22 °C | 22 °C |
| March | About 3 in 4 | 22 °C | 22 °C |
| April | About 3 in 4 | 22 °C | 22 °C |
| May | About 3 in 4 | 23 °C | 23 °C |
| June | About 3 in 4 | 23 °C | 23 °C |
| July | Under half | 24 °C | 25 °C |
| August | Under half | 26 °C | 26 °C |
| September | Under half | 27 °C | 27 °C |
| October | Under half | 27 °C | 27 °C |
| November | - | 26 °C | 26 °C |
| December | About 6 in 10 | 24 °C | 24 °C |
The schools quote their own ranges. ION CLUB calls the wind on Sal generally steady and always between 15 and 30 knots, depending on the time of year. DPC Boa Vista gives 15 to 25 knots, side offshore from the northeast, with the odd day up to 30, and Sportif counts force 4 or more on 80 to 90 % of days on Boa Vista, averaging 20 knots.
Rain hardly touches the wind season. Sal Rei sees one or two rain days in most of its months, against seven or eight in August and September. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) puts the rainy season from mid August to mid October and warns of torrential rain. In January and February Boa Vista's days reach about 23 to 25 °C and the nights seldom fall below 18 °C.
Where the current and the reef catch riders out
North west swells reach the islands from December to February, and those are the months with the best waves; March and April bring fewer of them. Flat water here usually means offshore wind, a sheltering islet or a bay out of the swell, and in Sal Rei bay the wind changes character within the first few hundred meters.
On Sal the current can make it hard to get back to the beach if your gear fails, so never ride alone there. The FCDO calls the tides and currents around the islands very strong and the waves unpredictable, with a strong undertow, and tells visitors to use lifeguarded beaches and respect the flags. It also says the sea around Cape Verde can be dangerous and that you should follow local advice before going out by boat. On the rocky spots, wear shoes against sea urchins.
Reef sets the timetable at Kite Beach, where Surf Hub teaches only at high tide. On Boa Vista the house reef in front of Planet Allsports throws 1 to 2 meter waves most days. Across Sal Rei bay the wind blows off the land, so learn there with a boat close by.
Outside Reef, which some call English Reef, lies 2 km off Boa Vista and breaks from about 3 meters up to 6. Leave it to wave professionals with a boat escort.
Wetsuit or shorty in a 22 °C sea
At 22 to 24 °C the water is a few degrees warmer than around the Canaries in winter, and DPC Boa Vista says it never drops below 20 °C. A 3/2 shorty or full suit does the job in November and December. For January to April, when the sea is at its coolest, a 4/3 is the common suggestion, though on Sal you will see riders in shorties next to others in full suits.
If you are taking lessons, you may not need to pack one. ION CLUB's courses include a wetsuit, DPC has them at the center, and Kite Beach Water Sports Center rents them by the day or week. Planet Allsports asks for a thin wetsuit or at least a shorty, and surf shoes are optional on its house reef.
Pack water shoes. You want them on the rocky spots, and on a rest day at Shark Bay on Sal, where you wade through rocky shallows to see lemon sharks. The salt pans at Pedra de Lume fill another rest day on Sal.
Six hours from the UK, then one road to Santa Maria
The flight from the UK takes about six hours. Direct holiday flights go to Sal, and Sportif, an ATOL protected UK tour operator, sells them in its Sal packages. Boa Vista has direct flights from several European cities. Cape Verde has fewer departure airports than the Canaries, which are served direct from many UK and Irish airports, so look at the schedule from your own airport before you settle on an island.
On Sal the airport is about 20 km from Santa Maria, roughly 20 minutes on the island's one road, and ION CLUB puts the taxi at around €25. On Boa Vista the airport is about 10 minutes by car from Sal Rei. Licensed taxis on both islands are blue and yellow; take one from a rank or have the hotel call it. The ferry between Sal and Boa Vista depends heavily on the swell and the forecast.
Passport and the TSA fee
According to the FCDO's travel advice, a British passport gets you up to 30 days in Cape Verde without a visa, and the passport must be valid for at least 6 months after you arrive. At least 5 days before arrival you register online and pay the airport security fee, known as the TSA, then carry the proof with you. Turn up without it and the fee is charged at double the rate at the border. Children aged one and under do not pay.
Other passports, Irish ones included, have their own entry rules, so read your own government's travel advice before you book.
Cape Verde or the Canaries between December and April
For wing foiling in those months, Cape Verde. The Canary trade wind is at its strongest in summer, from June to August in the acceleration zones, and on the Canaries winter is the eFoil season. A January afternoon there reaches about 21 °C with two or three rain days in the month, and the sea is 19 to 21 °C.
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| Cape Verde (Sal, Boa Vista) | Canary Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | Trade wind season, most reliable January to April | Strongest wind June to August |
| Sea temperature | About 22 to 24 °C | About 19 to 21 °C |
| Flight from the UK | About 6 hours, fewer departure airports | Shorter, direct from many UK and Irish airports |
| eFoil | Not offered by the wing schools | eFoil schools on the islands |
The Canaries are closer, and they suit a group where someone wants an eFoil lesson. DPC Tenerife lists a 3 hour group wing course at €169, and Line Up starts from €100. On Sal, Surf Hub's 3 hour group introduction, booked as a pair, is €90. Our Canary Islands guide lists the eFoil schools and their beaches, and for another trade wind trip the Zanzibar wing foil page covers the lagoon at Paje.