Playa Espana
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 5 ft swell at 5 s
Mon 2 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 160kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 96kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sat 7 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 157, fair
- Mon 241, poor
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 444, too small
- Thu 543, too small
- Fri 628, too small
- Sat 721, too small
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 913, too small
- Tue 1054, fair
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–Jan3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Playa Espana does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 57, fair | 5 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 517kJ | offshorewind from the south, 1 knot, offshore | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 41, poor | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 160kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 61, good | 5 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 96kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 13°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | offshorewind from the south, 3 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 16°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 02:17 −1.2 mHigh 08:39 +1.3 mLow 15:07 −1.3 mHigh 21:28 +0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:30 −1.0 mHigh 09:58 +1.2 mLow 16:28 −1.2 mHigh 22:55 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:53 −0.9 mHigh 11:22 +1.2 mLow 17:49 −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–Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 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
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Playa Espana 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
- Peñarrubia 7.7 km away
- El Mongol 9 km away
- La Roca 9.6 km away
- Playa San Lorenzo 10 km away
- San lorenzo - san pedro 10.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Playa Espana
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (356°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (176°). It is exposed 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 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, November and December, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Villaviciosa.
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$1,100–US$2,060 each
about US$1,100–US$2,060 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 OVD, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$449–US$931 |
| 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$1,100–US$2,060 |
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
18 min by car · 25 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Villaviciosa its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Gijon on Booking.com
19 min by car · 89 places to stay
- Beds in Colunga on Booking.com
38 min by car · 16 places to stay
Nearest beds: Villaviciosa, 10 km (about 20 min by car)
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 45m
About 17h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → OVD, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 1h by road
Flights ORD → OVD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.