Surf Forecasts:
El Medano surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 12s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 15s period, SSW swell with 456 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 12s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for El Medano this week:
The surf forecast for El Medano over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 3s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at El Medano in the next 16 days are 1.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 10s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (WEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Medano over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. We’re lookin’ at El Medano here, and I gotta be straight with you—this 16-day window is a tough one. The water’s sitting at about 75°F which is pretty average for this time of year, so at least a dip won’t be a shock.
The first surf worth mentioning doesn’t show up until Wednesday afternoon, 19th August, but even then it’s a real struggle. We’ve got a small 3ft SSW swell with a long 15-second period, so there’s some groundswell energy, pushing 445 (moderate combined energy), but a cross-onshore wind is messing it up. It’s barely rideable—the sort of afternoon where you’re fighting for a half-decent wave.
Then we hit a proper dry spell. From Thursday 20th August all the way through to early Monday 31st August, it’s just poor. Day after day of choppy, lumpy, or messy conditions with cross-onshore winds. The swell drops to nothing, energy dips down to 52 at the worst, and the wind is up around 18–25 mph at times. Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August see a bit of a bump in swell size, but the wind is fresh and onshore, so it’s messy and uninviting. Honestly, for a beach-and-reef setup like this, it’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing through that stretch.
The first real glimmer comes on Monday morning, 31st August. The wind goes glassy—calm, 0 mph, from the north-northeast. The swell is a clean 2ft from the SSW, with a long 15-second period, and combined energy of 342 (moderate). This is the standout session in the whole outlook. The waves will be small, but clean and lined up, ideal for a beginner or someone wanting a longboard. That’s the morning to be in the water. Afternoon the wind picks up again, though.
The rest of the first week of September is more of the same: small SSW swell, moderate energy, but cross-onshore winds and chop. Thursday 3rd September sees a shift to a short-period NE windswell, but it’s small and messy with fresh winds. Nothing to write home about.
So, bottom line: El Medano is a tough call this fortnight. The only real window is that Monday morning, 31st August. Get in early, enjoy the glass, and don’t expect much else.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Thu afternoon, min 23°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Wed night, fresh winds from the NE by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Mon afternoon, min 22°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, fresh winds from the ENE by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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) | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | NE 5 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 273 | 196 | 449 | 366 | 351 | 239 | 181 | 135 | 95 | 77 | 75 | 73 | 72 | 72 | 65 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 36 | 39 | 89 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:07AM1.40m | 7:42PM1.28m | 8:26AM1.32m | 9:25PM1.22m | 10:09AM1.33m | 11:00PM1.27m | 11:23AM1.44m | 11:57PM1.39m | 12:12PM1.58m | 00:37AM1.51m | 12:49PM1.73m | 1:11AM1.64m | 1:22PM1.87m | 1:42AM1.75m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:22PM0.70m | 1:49AM0.75m | 3:02PM0.76m | 3:34AM0.79m | 4:47PM0.71m | 5:03AM0.71m | 5:50PM0.60m | 5:56AM0.59m | 6:32PM0.47m | 6:35AM0.46m | 7:06PM0.34m | 7:08AM0.34m | 7:38PM0.23m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:37 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — |
 | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:38 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:35 | — | — | 8:34 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 |
Feels °C | 26 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 |
| kJ | 273 | 181 | 449 | 366 | 351 | 239 | 181 | 135 | 95 | 77 | 75 | 73 | 72 | 72 | 65 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 23 | 22 | 20 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | SSW 16 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 | NW 9 | W 9 | NE 6 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | NW 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | — |
| kJ | 134 | 196 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | — | — | W 11 | W 10 | N 13 | N 12 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | N 13 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | — | N 9 | — | — | W 8 |
| kJ | 9 | 8 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 4 | ENE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 5 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | NE 5 | ENE 4 | ENE 3 | ENE 4 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | NE 4 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | NE 5 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 6 |
| kJ | 15 | 37 | 71 | 29 | 37 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 31 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 36 | 39 | 89 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 11 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 35 | 34 | 518 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Tenerife | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Spain (Africa) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the El Medano Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for El Medano provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at El Medano can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our El Medano 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 Medano) 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 Medano 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.
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