Islares
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor 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 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sat 7 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 233, too small
- Tue 344, poor
- Wed 440, too small
- Thu 523, too small
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 712, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 96, too small
- Tue 101, too small
- Wed 1113, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 33, too small | 3 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 44, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 13°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the south, 2 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 6, too small | under 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft11 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft10 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the south, 6 knots, offshore | 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 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
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:17 +1.0 mLow 06:11 −1.1 mHigh 12:39 +1.4 mLow 18:56 −1.4 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 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
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 2 November 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$463–US$959 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$107–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$349 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$235–US$443 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$101–US$168 |
| 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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$81/nightcountry average
About Islares its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Castro-Urdiales on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 13 places to stay
- Beds in Laredo on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 19 places to stay
About US$81 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 2 November 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 · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.