Zanzibar / Paje Beach
Paje on Zanzibar's east coast is a flat-water freeride and freestyle mecca, with a vast reef-protected lagoon that empties and fills dramatically with the tide. At low water you ride mirror-flat shallows and sandbanks, while the rising tide brings small kickers near the beach and waves out at the reef, giving the mixed flat-and-chop character listed here. Two trade-wind seasons drive it: the northerly Kaskazi from roughly December to February and the stronger southerly Kuzi from May to October, working the N, S, SSE and SE directions, often building in the afternoon. The wide sandy beach offers loads of launch room, with kite schools lining the shore. It is welcoming to beginners but does get crowded, so stay alert and ride defensively. Sea-urchin-covered rocks and coral patches at certain tide states are the main thing to watch, so booties are wise.