Rainy kite in El Medano

After three days in the doldrums, the wind finally arrives on Tenerife. In the morning, I see five rainbows in quick succession from the balcony and know that something is going to happen today. I pack my stuff and beam up to El Medano – once again I can’t find the exit.

On the beach, 300 tourists are building rafts as part of an occupational therapy programme. When it starts to rain, a quarter of them crowd into the three containers at the Playa Sur surf centre. Then the wind slowly picks up. I frown. Almost full offshore. No rescue.

I don’t want to be forced out to sea again without anyone having a boat. But the wind is too good. Today it’s full westerly instead of the usual sideshore from the north-east. When it turns a little, I set up and go out. The gusts of about 20 knots of wind are just right for Bavaria. The only thing any Bavarian can really do is flatten gusts.

There are 10 other kiters out there, all quite good. I see some kite loops, nice transitions and jumps over five metres. Unfortunately, a gust carries me a few metres over the heads of some bathers. After two hours on the water, I’ve had enough for now. I’m flat. A man from Leipzig comes over and says there’s another beach with good waves directly behind Monte Roja. And the wind is sideshore there.

I’m immediately on board, we drive 3 kilometres over to Tejita beach. The waves are nice. 1m on the beach, 2m rollercoaster outside with occasional light breakers. No reef. As promised, the wind is full sideshore, and as it comes over the sea it’s a bit stronger at around 25 knots and fantastically laminar.

I go out and play catch with the waves. The first one clearly wins, my right ear rings for a while. The rest goes smoothly. 23 arse bombs from a height of over five metres. Riding surf waves. Nice cruising in the pouring rain, with a constant view of the huge lava rock Monte Roja, in front of which really big things break.

After a total of four hours, I crawl ashore. Kite soaking wet and full of sand because of the rain. A hot bath at home because it was really fresh with the shorty. But apart from that: What a perfect day…