Windsurf, Kite & Wing California

Windsurfing, kiteboarding and wingfoiling in California come down to one great engine: the thermal gradient between the cold Pacific and the hot Central Valley, which switches on almost every summer afternoon. Sherman Island and Rio Vista in the Delta are the result — screaming, dependable 25-to-35-knot thermals that draw riders from around the world. The Bay adds Crissy Field's iconic blasting beneath the Golden Gate, plus Third Avenue, Coyote Point, Crown Beach and Berkeley. The Central Coast trades flatwater for swell at Waddell Creek, Davenport, Marina State Beach, Jalama and Pismo. Southern California is warmer and friendlier — County Line and Malibu wave-sailing, Belmont Shore, Cabrillo, Mission Bay and Fiesta Island, Silver Strand. Inland, Tahoe, Boca and Prosser, Crowley, Lake Isabella and the Salton Sea let you rig in boardshorts.