Surfing in Lanzarote

Many argue that Lanzarote has the best surf in the whole of Europe.

Warm sea, rugged exposed coastline and great weather come together to make a great surfing location for all levels of surfer.

Wave Creation:-

Storm cells that track along the Gulf Stream from Florida to Scotland blow across the sea creating waves. These waves then travel thousands of miles across the ocean. When the waves made so far away arrive in Lanzarote they are organised, lined up and great for surfing.

Surf for all surfer skill levels:-

The beautiful breaking waves in Lanzarote’s warm and crystal clear waters suit every level of surfer.

Learning to surf in Lanzarote

surfing famara beach

If you have never surfed before then visit on the the Surf Schools at Famara beach.

The gently sloped Famara beach has gently breaking waves almost everyday of the year.

Register with a Famara Surf school and let them teach you surfing.

Your Lanzarote surf school will introduce you to this exciting sport.

The surf instructors will explain all the dangers of rip currents and what to do if you are in one. They will help you warm up. Guide and explain all the equipment of wetsuits, leashed, boards, wax etc.

Explain how waves break. Tell you the best place to be to paddle for and catch a wave.

Soon you will be catching your first wave, standing up and actually surfing along a breaking Lanzarote wave.

Meet other surfers of your level. After your lesson grab some lunch in a local bar and talk surf with your new surfer friends.

Once you have the basics figured out you can hire equipment and go for a surf yourself.

Always be aware of safety measures and rip currents. Take care on larger days and if no one else is out surfing its for a good reason.

Intermediate Surfing in Lanzarote

surfing orzola beach

So you have had a few surf lessons. You can now jump straight to your feet and surf the unbroken part of the waves. You understand how rips work and how to get out of them. You have you own board and wetsuit or have hired some surf gear.

You want to catch some waves.

The two best beaches in Lanzarote for intermediate level surfing are Famara Beach and Orzola Beach. These are sand bottomed beaches with waves that break with less power than over rock bottomed reef waves.

Famara is normally best for surfing from mid to high tide. There are spots to surf the full length of the beach. Grab you board and go and have some fun. Stay aware of the position you paddled out from. Famara can have rips and along shore currents.

Orzola is a good beach for surfers and surfing. Orzola is a quieter beach with less surfers than Famara.
The best waves are from low to almost high tide. At high tide waves can break on or very close to the boulders higher up the beach. To the right of the beach by the rocks there is normally a strong rip going out to sea.
Orzola beach can have good waves with few other surfers in the water.

Advanced surfing in Lanzarote

surfing at la santa left

Advanced surfers have a great selection of waves all around Lanzarote. The island is volcanic so there are lots of reefs that take large ocean swells and turn them into powerful surf able waves.

Surfing in Lanzarote is best in Winter. Winter is the time of year when Atlantic storms create large and powerful swells. When the swells arrive at the Lanzarote rocky coast they get transformed great surfing waves. The Lanzarote weather in Winter offers light winds that groom the waves into smooth long walls.

The most popular areas of Lanzarote for advanced surfers are in the in and around the village of La Santa.
The main wave is the La Santa right. This is a long right hand point break. Entry and exit from the water is over slippery boulders which do not get easier to cross over with time. Take care and watch out for the sets coming in, timing can be key.
There are many other great surf spots to find and enjoy including Jameos del Agua, San Juan, Complex left and many many more.
Stay aware of entry and exit points to the surf. Some days can be much bigger than they look from the shore.

Surfing at Punta Mujeres

Summary of Surfing in Lanzarote

Surfing in Lanzarote is reliable all year around. There are smaller waves in Summer and bigger waves in Winter.
You can hire surf boards or bring your own.
The main thing is to have fun and enjoy the sport no matter what level you are at.

Remember that the best surfer is the one having the most fun.

surfing at jameos del agua

Lanzarote Surf web cams

To plan for the best place to surf in Lanzarote on any given day you need up to date information.

Lanzarote surf web cams are the best way to see how good the surf is.

There are two surf cams on Famara beach and one on La Garita beach.  Even if you do not want to surf these places the web cams on Famara beach will give a good idea of surf conditions on the West coast of Lanzarote.

The web cam on La Garita beach will give you an idea of the surf conditions on Lanzarote’s east coast. The surf will be bigger when heading North from La Garita Beach.

La Garita beach Surf Web Cam – Also known as Arrieta beach

Famara beach Webcam by El Cruce surf shop

Famara beach surf cam by Red Star Surf

Forecasting surf and weather conditions in Lanzarote

To plan your surf destination further ahead of time using weather forecasts is very useful.
A great weather, wind and surf forecast website is www.windguru.com
Weather forecast website for Famara Beach

Dangers of Surfing in Lanzarote

The surf in Lanzarote is very different to the surf in the rest of Europe. Ocean swells spring up out of deep water creating large and powerful waves. The rest of Europe does not get the same size of power of waves that Lanzarote does. You may be a good and experienced surfer on your local beach but take care before entering the water in Lanzarote.

If there is no one else out find out why, normally its for a good reason. Waves in Lanzarote can be much larger than they seem.

When surfing a new spot take note of how and where other surfers are entering and leaving the water. See where the waves breaks, where the rips are and your route to the line up.

If you break a leash or board have a plan ready for how you would exit the sea.

Be prepared and stay safe when surfing in Lanzarote, it is for good reason its called the Hawaii of Europe.