El Baleo
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
49Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 86kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 96kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 200kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 116kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 241, poor
- Tue 347, fair
- Wed 456, fair
- Thu 564, good
- Fri 642, too small
- Sat 732, too small
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 949, fair
- Tue 1046, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
El Baleo does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 41, poor | 4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 270kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 14 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft6 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft6 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 96kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 64, good | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 200kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the south, 9 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 49, fair | 4 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | offshorewind from the south, 9 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 15°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
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:24 −0.9 mHigh 09:54 +1.1 mLow 16:25 −1.1 mHigh 22:51 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:49 −0.9 mHigh 11:17 +1.1 mLow 17:45 −1.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:09 +0.9 mLow 06:07 −1.0 mHigh 12:30 +1.3 mLow 18:51 −1.3 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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 Baleo 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
- Pantin 1 km away
- Villarrube 3.2 km away
- Valdovino 5.7 km away
- Campelo 11.5 km away
- Ponzos 16.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Baleo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (320°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (140°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 9). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Valdoviño, 5.4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 mountain bike area.
Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,090–US$2,050 each
about US$1,090–US$2,050 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 LCG, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$442–US$918 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$107–US$174 |
| 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$1,090–US$2,050 |
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
about 10 min by car · 7 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Valdoviño its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ortigueira on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Ferrol on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 24 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 17h 50m
About 17h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LCG, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 1h by road
Flights ORD → LCG on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.