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Windsurfing thrives where it is warm, sunny and breezy. The Caribbean, Hawaii and Florida are year-round destinations, while New England, the Great Lakes and entire coast of California come alive in the spring through the fall. You can windsurf on any body of water but beginners should look for warm, shallow, protected waters with a constant, sideshore to onshore breeze, while advanced sailors go anywhere the wind howls.

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for ships, Cape Hatteras is actually a haven for windsurfers. Pamlico Sound, the body of water between Hatteras Island and the mainland, is one of the most ideal windsurfing spots in the country. Its waters are waist deep for miles, which makes it ideal for learning. In the summer months, warm, steady southwesterly winds are almost a daily occurance and some of the best windsurfing shops and schools are right there to service your every need. Besides the great windsurfing, Cape Hatteras, with its pristine beaches, is a great place to surf-fish, beachcomb, fly kites, hand glide, golf...but remember the reason Cape Hatteras is famous for its wind. The Wright Brothers didn't choose Kitty Hawk on a whim.

Miami and Florida Keys

These two windsurfing destinations, only an hour or so apart by car, are at the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to lifestyle. Miami is fast-paced, the Keys are as lazy as a summer day in Mexico. However, both make great windsurfing destinations because of their year-round warm waters. In Miami, try Biscayne Bay off Rickenbacker Causeway. The wind usually blows side-onshore, and the water stayes fairly shallow so a beginner can always walk his way back to shore if necessary. The Florida Keys, primarily Islamorada and Key West, both offer world-class sandy beaches, and the clearest water the U.S. has to offer.

Aruba

If you want to combine a vacation with a learn-to-windsurf week, Aruba is the Caribbean's premier windsurfing destination. Although the wind blows extremely hard and offshore there, the local schools and shops have learned to work around these obstacles, so all the beginner notices are the shallow waters and beautiful beaches as he learns. The waters in Aruba are so inviting, you can't help but want to be in them, and windsurfing is the ideal way to enjoy the island's two best natrual resources: sun and wind. Of course, as with all the Carribean islands, Aruba has the beautiful resorts, casinos, swimming, scuba diving, duty-free shopping and great dining to make it a complete vacation spot to compliment your windsurfing.

Hawaii

Hawaii needs no introduction when it comes to being a great place for a vacation, and likewise, its waves are world famous. What's less well known is the fact that the trade winds provide the perfect opportunity for learning windsurfing on some of the island's more protected beaches.

Maui is the windsurfing destination island, and most of the world's best windsurfers live and train there on the ilsand's more exposed beaches, while just around the corner, dozens of beginners could be taking their first lessons in a shallow protected cove.