
Surf Forecasts:
El Balneario surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 7s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 6 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period, W swell with 62 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 7s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for El Balneario this week:
The surf forecast for El Balneario over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at El Balneario in the next 16 days are 0.9m 6s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Friday (Aug 07) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (CEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Balneario over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab your board and let’s talk about the next stretch. It’s gonna be a bit of a slow grind for a while, to be honest. The swell is there, but it’s small and the wind wants to mess with it. We’re looking at a lot of days where the ocean’s just kind of… flat and blown out. But there are a few windows where things line up, and you’ll want to be ready for them.
The first real chance we get is on the morning of Friday the 7th. We’ve got a light offshore breeze coming out of the east, and the surf is a small but clean 3ft. It’s not big, but that offshore wind will make it look a whole lot better than the numbers suggest. The swell is coming from the WNW with a period of 7 seconds, so it’s a bit short-period and won’t have much push, but for a small-wave day, it’ll be the most fun you’ll have all week. The energy is weak, sitting at 62, but with clean conditions, it’s worth a paddle.
After that, it’s back to the grind. The wind swings onshore and the waves drop off again. We’ve got a long gap of nothing worth getting excited about until the morning of Monday the 10th. That morning, we get a similar setup to Friday: a gentle offshore breeze from the ENE and 2ft of WNW swell. It’s not going to be a classic, but it’ll be clean and a bit more orderly than the junk we’ll see in between. The energy is still weak at 36, but for a quick session before work, it might just scratch the itch.
Then we’re looking at another stretch of small, onshore, and essentially unsurfable conditions. The energy drops into the teens and single digits for a while, and it’s just not worth the effort. The wind keeps howling from the west, and the waves are too small to do anything with it. If you’re a kite surfer, some of those days might look more interesting than for us paddle folk, but for now, we’re watching and waiting.
The last thing that catches my eye is the morning of Tuesday the 18th. This is the one that’s got a bit more potential. The swell is still small, at 3ft, but the wind is light and out of the WSW, and the swell energy jumps up to 131 – that’s the strongest we’ve seen in the whole period. It’s still not big, but it’s got more life to it. The period is a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit crumbly, but at least there’s some push behind it. It’s a week and a half away, so don’t book the day off yet, but it’s the most promising thing on the horizon.
So, the long and short of it is: don’t expect much. We’ve got a couple of small, clean windows on the 7th and the 10th, and a slightly more promising blip on the 18th. Everything else is a write-off. Keep your expectations low, and you might just get a fun one in.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sun night, min 21°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Fri afternoon, min 22°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | W 5 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 5 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | W 6 | W 6 | W 7 | WNW 7 | W 6 | WNW 9 | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
24 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 44 | 29 | 28 | 47 | 33 | 24 | 62 | 19 | 16 | 30 | 16 | 13 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | glassy | off | off | off | glassy | on | on |
High Tide | 6:34AM1.20m | 6:51PM1.24m | 7:13AM1.16m | 7:32PM1.19m | 8:00AM1.10m | 8:22PM1.13m | 8:58AM1.04m | 9:28PM1.07m | 10:16AM1.00m | 10:53PM1.04m | 11:46AM1.02m | 00:21AM1.07m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:28AM0.16m | 12:39PM0.19m | 1:06AM0.19m | 1:19PM0.24m | 1:49AM0.24m | 2:06PM0.30m | 2:44AM0.30m | 3:08PM0.36m | 3:55AM0.35m | 4:30PM0.40m | 5:22AM0.36m | 6:02PM0.37m | |||||||
— | 7:30 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | |
9:25 | — | — | 9:25 | — | — | 9:24 | — | — | 9:23 | — | — | 9:22 | — | — | 9:22 | — | — | 9:21 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | W 5 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 6 | WNW 8 | W 5 | W 6 | WNW 10 | W 7 | WNW 7 | W 6 | WNW 6 | W 6 | WNW 9 | W 5 |
24 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 44 | 14 | 28 | 47 | 19 | 24 | 62 | 19 | 6 | 30 | 8 | 13 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WNW 10 | — | — | — | — | WNW 7 | WNW 9 | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | — | WNW 10 | — | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | E 4 | E 4 | W 9 |
— | 18 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 8 | — | 9 | 11 | — | 18 | — | 15 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 11 | — | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | E 4 | — | E 4 | E 4 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | — | W 5 | W 4 | W 5 | W 5 | W 4 | — | W 6 | SW 2 | — | W 6 | — | E 3 | E 4 | — | — | W 6 | — |
4 | — | 12 | 5 | 20 | 10 | 6 | — | 29 | 1 | — | 33 | — | 2 | 9 | — | — | 16 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 137 | 100 | 278 | 137 | 137 | 261 | 137 | 181 | 149 | 137 | 40 | 246 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 839 | 71 | 250 | 717 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Andalucia | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Spain (Europe) | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the El Balneario Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for El Balneario provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at El Balneario can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our El Balneario surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (El Balneario) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for El Balneario may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
El Balneario is 1 km (1 miles) from the city of Tarifa. If you plan a holiday in Andalucia, look for hotels and other accommodation in Tarifa. Tarifa has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











