Islares
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
28Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 158, fair
- Mon 234, too small
- Tue 343, poor
- Wed 432, too small
- Thu 518, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 99, too small
- Tue 1023, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Nov–Feb2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 34, too small | 3 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | offshorewind from the south, 2 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft11 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft6 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the south, 12 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 17°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 NovLow 02:19 −1.2 mHigh 08:41 +1.4 mLow 15:08 −1.3 mHigh 21:31 +1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:32 −1.0 mHigh 10:02 +1.2 mLow 16:28 −1.2 mHigh 22:58 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:53 −1.0 mHigh 11:26 +1.2 mLow 17:48 −1.2 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–Feb
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
- Feb2of 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
- Aug1of 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 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
Islares on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Islares
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (16°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (196°). 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, November and December, with about 2 good days in 7; in June and July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Islares, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$2,090 each
about US$1,110–US$2,090 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 BIO, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$462–US$958 |
| 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$2,090 |
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
1 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Islares its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Castro-Urdiales on Booking.com
12 min by car · 13 places to stay
- Beds in Laredo on Booking.com
17 min by car · 19 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 30m
About 17h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BIO, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → BIO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.