JAMEOS DEL AGUA
The next morning we were up early doors ready to head 20 kms up the coast to one of the island’s premier wave spots, Jameos Del Agua. Breakfast in the hotel was not an awful lot better than the view from our terrace but at least we could steal some fresh fruit and Spanish omelettes that would do us for lunch!
A huge iron crab sculpture welcomes you into the tourist area at Jameos, but the spot we were there for was further down the volcanic landscape in the form of a perfect point break and reeling waves. The actual car park and tourist centre are there because of amazing natural lava tubes and caves as well as an extraordinary underground restaurant and bar. Windsurfers could originally park right on the water’s edge here but to keep the beauty of this spectacular viewpoint unspoilt the track has been shut off at the top meaning a five minute walk to the beach with your kit. We heard it was a €5000 fine for driving down to the launch area so our vehicle was to stay well and truly at the top of the track!
Jameos is a left hand point break and north swells wrap around the top of the island and into a decent section right on the point, followed by a solid shoulder that wraps into the next bay which is slightly less powerful. On its day this wave is reported to be the longest on the island and is heavier on a low to mid tide for windsurfing, but on a big swell will pump right through high tide! The entry point is a small keyhole in the jagged reef and it pays to be careful as you come in and out of the water as there are a few rocks hidden below the surface that could easily destroy a fin.
With a forecast for 1.8 metres at 13 seconds we were hoping for a bit more swell. The wind was already blowing a good twenty five knots, but so far the predicted groundswell was not really showing. With that said there were still some half-mast ramps straight off the beach signalling the opportunity for Noah to head out and show us why he is one of the best youths in the Canary Islands with his incredible array of jumps. We were not too worried about the conditions since the next day was calling for thirty knots, 2.8 metres at 10 seconds and all the locals were extremely confident that Jameos would be firing. Apparently Köster was going to catch an overnight ferry from Gran Canaria along with his long standing caddy Jorge Vera who is also a ripping sailor. Last summer Köster had bailed a warm up session in Vargas right before the Pozo world cup to come and sail Jameos, so if he reckoned it was decent we were sure it was going to be a solid day. By late afternoon the first forerunners of the new swell were starting to wrap around the point and we were given a taster of what was in store for the main brunt of the swell. Timo and Noah sailed until they could take no more and all in all it was a solid day on the water.