El Cotillo
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
21Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (5 ft swell at 10 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 380kJ
- Wind
- E 11 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tue 3 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 209kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 30kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 156, fair
- Mon 244, too small
- Tue 325, too small
- Wed 49, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 922, too small
- Tue 1028, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 6–20 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
El Cotillo does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 56, fair | 6 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 716kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 44, too small | 5 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 380kJ | offshorewind from the east, 11 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 25, too small | 4 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 209kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, too small | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 289kJ | wind from the south-west, 12 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, too small | 5 ft7 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 217kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 24°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 05:43 +0.8 mLow 12:14 −0.7 mHigh 18:38 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:33 −0.5 mHigh 07:05 +0.8 mLow 13:43 −0.7 mHigh 20:05 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:03 −0.5 mHigh 08:27 +0.8 mLow 15:04 −0.8 mHigh 21:21 +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.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
El Cotillo 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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Photos of El Cotillo
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More surf near here
5 places
- Cotillo beach 0 km away
- Punta Gorda 2.4 km away
- Escalera 5.2 km away
- Punta Blanca 5.9 km away
- Playa de Esquinzo 6.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Cotillo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (256°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (76°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 19°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is El Cotillo, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 22°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$1,110–US$2,100 each
about US$1,110–US$2,100 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 FUE, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$462–US$965 |
| 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$1,110–US$2,100 |
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 · 31 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About El Cotillo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lajares on Booking.com
14 min by car · 21 places to stay
- Beds in Corralejo on Booking.com
26 min by car · 164 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 10m
About 19h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FUE, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → FUE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.