Windsurfing near Manta
- Ecuador Kitesurf School in Santa Marianita Beach (15 km)
- Atacames (221 km)
- Colán (449 km)
- Calima Lake. Velas y Vientos Windsurf club (709 km)
- Lake Arenal (1360 km)
Nearby Windguru Forecasts
Manta, Ecuador, South America
Manta is the most important tourism hub and commercial center in the province of Manabà and the northern-central Ecuadorean coast. With around 200000 inhabitants, it’s a dynamic port with important tourism, fishing, agro-industrial and real-estate activity. Manta is a privileged town, offering a great mixture of a coastal setting with the comfort and services of a bigger city; it has everything in one place: great beaches in town or close by, many lodging possibilities from small cabañas to 5 star hotels, excellent food at restaurants, open markets or the beach, animated night life, shops, cinemas, supermarket, gyms, shopping centers, banks and a yacht club. In addition, Manta is the northern starting point of La Ruta del Sol, the Route of the Sun, the best part of Ecuadorean coast. Here a highway runs parallel to the beach for 200 Km and you can find a bit of everything: world class surfing spots such as Montañita and San Mateo, picturesque fishing villages, archaeological sites such as Salango and Agua Blanca and Machalilla National Park, where you can go whale-watching, scuba diving and hiking at La Isla de la Plata, the continental cousin of the Galápagos, or just relax at Los Frailes, said to be one of the most beautiful beaches on the Pacific coast of South America.
Wind
The wind in Manta is created by a strong thermal effect. The area around Manta is very dry; it has one of the lowest rainfall averages on the coast. This, combined with the strong equatorial sun, makes the air over the interior heat up a lot. Meanwhile the water is relatively cool, so there is a high pressure difference between the hot air over land and the cooler air over sea which creates the strong thermal winds. The wind usually starts picking up around 11:00, and from 10 or so it’s already good for taking lessons. It reaches its peak at around 1:00 to 2:00 and lasts until approximately 4:00-4:30. In the dry season (June to November) the water temperature is cooler, 21-24 degrees C (70-75 F), creating stronger winds. Expect anything from 15 to 25 knots. December is a transition month where the air and water start warming up, so the wind depends on how fast the water warms in relation to the air (10-20 knots are possible). In the wet season (January to May) the water temperature is warmer, 25-28 degrees C (77-82 F), so the wind is not that strong. However, as the air temperature is higher as well, there are windy days during these months too (winds generally between 8-18 knots). Wind direction is mostly W ans SW, which means it blows side-onshore to side shore from the left most of the time. In general the weather in this area is warm, with temperatures averaging 25 to 30 degrees C (77-86 F).
Waves
The waves are best in the wet season with anything between 1 and 3 meters being normal. According to wavehunters.com, “Ecuadorian waves, during the wet season… are as consistent as any other surf destination in the world”. In the dry season waves are smaller, although with “aguajes” or seasonal periods of higher tides and stronger seas, you can get good waves.
Spots
Playa Bonita
Playa Bonita, located by the village of Santa Marianita, is 12 Km south of Manta. It is a wide, long beach (4 Kms) so space is no problem. With no development, the beach is a great natural place for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The wind is side on shore to sideshore from the left.
El Murciélago
El Murciélago is the beach closest to the city, 5 minutes walk from the center of town. There’s a big extent of flat water after the shorebreak and an area with a sand bank where there’s a break when the swell is big. This beach was host to the 1991 South American Windsurfing Championship.
San Mateo
San Mateo is one of the best surfing spots in the coast of Ecuador and the longest wave in the country. Early in the morning it’s perfect for surfing, with glassy, endless waves that will carry you as long as your legs can take you. In the afternoon, when the wind picks up, it becomes a great playground for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The wave breaks left from the point for 150 to 300 meters on a normal day and 300 to 500 meters on a good day. The point can interfere with the wind, so be careful when kiting here as the wind gets blocked in some spots. Starting from Santa Marianita it’s possible to do a downwinder and surf San Mateo to end up in el Murciélago and have a ceviche at one of the many seafood kiosks of the Malecón.
Lessons
It is possible to take kitesurfing lessons in Manta (normally the lessons are done in Playa Bonita). Contact dlangpap@yahoo.com for more information on lessons and places to windsurf, kitesurf and surf.
Links
Check out weather, wind and wave forecasts at:
http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/main_text.html
https://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/PUBLIC/