Canoa's beach is the reason people come — a long, wide stretch of dark volcanic sand that runs for several kilometres in each direction with almost no development behind it beyond the small town at its centre. The waves are gentle and rolling, ideal for beginner surfers and bodyboarders, and the water is warm year-round. Several shops in town rent boards by the hour or day, and lessons are available.
At low tide the beach widens to extraordinary proportions. Pelicans cruise along the waterline, fishing boats pull up to the sand, and the handful of beach bars and restaurants set out their plastic chairs for the afternoon. Sunsets here are reliably good — the black sand absorbs the last light in a way that white sand beaches do not. Walk north along the beach at low tide and in about an hour you reach the caves carved into the cliffs that are only accessible below the waterline.