Margarita Island

Isla Margarita sits in the southeastern Caribbean off the Venezuelan coast, separated from the mainland Araya Peninsula by the Golfo de Cariaco. It has operated as a free-trade zone since the 1970s, which has shaped a commercial character alongside the fishing and beach economy. The island has two distinct parts joined by a narrow isthmus: the larger western peninsula is drier and more developed; the eastern Macanao is wilder, hilly, and less visited. The north-facing beaches — El Agua, Playa Caribe, Playa el Yaque — catch the northeast trade wind directly; Playa el Yaque on the south coast of the western peninsula is one of the consistently rated kite-surfing destinations in the Caribbean. Parguito on the eastern coast gets Atlantic swell during northern hemisphere winter swells, and the break there is surfed by a small local crew year-round. The tidal regime is Caribbean microtidal — mean range 0.3 to 0.4 m. Weather and trade wind dominate water-level variation. Predictions come from Open-Meteo Marine, accuracy class ±45 min / ±0.2–0.3 m.