Escalera
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 224kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 79kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 269kJ
- Wind
- SSW 16 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 282, good
- Tue 370, good
- Wed 421, too small
- Thu 537, too small
- Fri 642, too small
- Sat 726, too small
- Sun 818, too small
- Mon 924, poor
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Nov–Dec2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Escalera 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 | 82, good | 4 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 243kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 70, good | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 224kJ | wind from the north, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, poor | 5 ft7 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 269kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 16 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 729kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots | 23°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 00:31 −0.5 mHigh 07:03 +0.8 mLow 13:42 −0.7 mHigh 20:04 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:02 −0.5 mHigh 08:26 +0.8 mLow 15:03 −0.8 mHigh 21:20 +0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:20 −0.6 mHigh 09:36 +0.9 mLow 16:06 −0.8 mHigh 22:19 +0.7 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 Nov–Dec
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 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
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Escalera 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
- Playa de Esquinzo 1.1 km away
- Cotillo beach 5.2 km away
- El Cotillo 5.2 km away
- Punta Gorda 7.6 km away
- playa de mujer 8.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Escalera
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (286°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (106°). It is sheltered 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 50 m out (1 in 6). 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). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually November and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is El Cotillo, 4.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot 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
7 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
16 min by car · 21 places to stay
- Beds in Corralejo on Booking.com
31 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.