Faro de Trafalgar
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
10Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (1 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- WNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- W 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- ESE 17 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- ESE 20 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 124kJ
- Wind
- S 18 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 228, too small
- Tue 34, too small
- Wed 410, too small
- Thu 59, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 83, too small
- Mon 912, poor
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Faro de Trafalgar 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 | 28, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft9 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft10 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the west, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 17 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 20 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | wind from the south, 18 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 745kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 26 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:05 −0.5 mHigh 08:43 +0.7 mLow 15:03 −0.7 mHigh 21:37 +0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:33 −0.5 mHigh 10:02 +0.7 mLow 16:27 −0.7 mHigh 22:50 +0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:53 −0.6 mHigh 11:11 +0.8 mLow 17:35 −0.8 mHigh 23:49 +0.8 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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 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
- Sep0of 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
Faro de Trafalgar 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
- Los Canos de Meca 2.1 km away
- El Palmar 6.9 km away
- Barbate 10 km away
- Zahara Redtuna 17.8 km away
- Roche 18.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Faro de Trafalgar
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (212°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (32°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 65). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Zahora, 2.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 19°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$1,130–US$2,120 each
about US$1,130–US$2,120 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 TNG, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$476–US$985 |
| 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$1,130–US$2,120 |
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
4 min by car · 39 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Zahora its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Barbate on Booking.com
10 min by car · 1 place to stay
- Beds in Conil de la Frontera on Booking.com
21 min by car · 131 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 → TNG, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 1h 10m by road
Flights ORD → TNG on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.