El Arenal
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
52Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 5 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 377kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tue 3 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 197kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 107kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 104kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 271, good
- Tue 370, good
- Wed 428, too small
- Thu 547, fair
- Fri 645, fair
- Sat 728, too small
- Sun 835, too small
- Mon 965, good
- Tue 1057, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Oct–Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
El Arenal does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 918kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 71, good | 5 ft10 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 377kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 70, good | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 197kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 47, fair | 2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 65, good | 5 ft8 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 262kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 113kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 20°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 05:37 +0.7 mLow 12:11 −0.7 mHigh 18:35 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:29 −0.5 mHigh 06:59 +0.7 mLow 13:41 −0.6 mHigh 20:04 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:02 −0.4 mHigh 08:23 +0.7 mLow 15:02 −0.7 mHigh 21:20 +0.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Oct–Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
El Arenal on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- El Lobo 1.1 km away
- El Charco - La Piscina 1.2 km away
- Bajamar 1.3 km away
- Los dos Hermanos 2.9 km away
- Barranquera 6.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Arenal
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (314°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (134°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 19°C in March, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, October, November and December, with about 2 good days in 7; in June, July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Tegueste, 3.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 23°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,020–US$1,940 each
about US$1,020–US$1,940 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to TFN, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$456–US$945 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$348 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$234–US$442 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$100–US$167 |
| Total | about US$1,020–US$1,940 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
2 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Punta Del Hidalgo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Tegueste on Booking.com
5 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in San Cristobal de la Laguna on Booking.com
13 min by car · 34 places to stay
About US$80 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 19h
About 19h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → TFN, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → TFN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.