La arena
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
30Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Mon 2 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- SSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 169, good
- Mon 244, too small
- Tue 345, fair
- Wed 414, too small
- Thu 525, too small
- Fri 623, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 820, too small
- Mon 98, too small
- Tue 1026, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best in Sep3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 69, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 285kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 23, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | offshorewind from the south, 4 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 10 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | offshorewind from the south, 12 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the south, 9 knots, offshore | 21°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 02:20 −1.2 mHigh 08:42 +1.4 mLow 15:08 −1.3 mHigh 21:32 +1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:32 −1.0 mHigh 10:02 +1.2 mLow 16:28 −1.2 mHigh 22:59 +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 in Sep
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
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 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, its town, photos
La arena 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of La arena
More surf near here
5 places
- Jefrys 7.8 km away
- Arrigunaga 7.9 km away
- Brazomar 8.2 km away
- Ereaga 8.4 km away
- Playa Salvaje 9.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About La arena
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (342°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (162°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 41). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 month is usually September, with about 3 good days in 7; in July and August, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Pobena, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car).
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$1,050–US$1,980 each
about US$1,050–US$1,980 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$40–US$67 |
| 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$1,050–US$1,980 |
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 · 5 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Pobena its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Getxo on Booking.com
16 min by car · 18 places to stay
- Beds in Castro-Urdiales on Booking.com
16 min by car · 13 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 15m
About 17h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BIO, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 40 min by road
Flights ORD → BIO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.