La Ventana

About this spot

La Ventana is the Sea of Cortez's wind metronome. The 10km-wide channel between the mainland and Isla Cerralvo (officially Isla Jacques Cousteau) accelerates the El Norte — the seasonal high-pressure flow off the Sonora coast — into a remarkably consistent 18-25 knot N/NNW thermal that fills most afternoons from early November through late March. For eFoil riders the rhythm matters: dawn through about 10am the bay glasses off, water temperature sits 19-23 C in winter, and the long fetch south toward El Sargento gives an unhurried downwinder option before the wind builds. The town itself is a small kite and wing economy (a few hundred winter residents, mostly North American) clustered along a single dirt road behind the playa publica. Several operators rent and store eFoils, and battery charging is straightforward at most rental houses. The bay floor is sand-and-eelgrass with occasional rocky patches near the south end past Punta Gorda — local guidance is to launch and stay north of the El Sargento headland for cleaner flat water. Regulatory: Baja California Sur falls under SEMAR (Mexican Navy) federal maritime jurisdiction, and the nearest Capitania de Puerto is in La Paz. Charter operators need Capitania clearance for guided trips; recreational riders on personal eFoils typically operate without clearance but should respect the marine area boundaries of Parque Nacional Archipielago de Espiritu Santo to the north and Isla Cerralvo's protected status — neither permits motorized landings.