El Medano Surf Break

Lat Long: 28.04° N 16.54° W

El Medano Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 12 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's El Medano sea temperature is
23.7° C
0.6° 

El Medano surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


El Medano surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SSW swell with 353 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period with SSW 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 Monday (Aug 17) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 1.0m and 8s is also forecast. 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 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 9s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 7PM.

Wave TypeTime (WEST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10AM (Mon 17th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 16s
Best Surf10AM (Mon 17th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 16s
Most Powerful10AM (Mon 17th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Medano over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s on offer for El Medano over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you – this stretch is a tough one. That first solid block of days is a write-off for decent waves. The wind is a relentless cross-onshore, mainly from the ENE and NE, and it’s blowing a stiff breeze most of the time. The swell is short-period windswell from the NE, barely making 4ft, and the water is choppy and messy. The energy levels are weak to moderate, but the quality is zero. It’s not surfable.

Now, the good part. After that long wait, things start to shift. On Sunday, 16 August, you’ll see the first signs of a change. That NE windswell drops right off to just 2ft, but a new, long-period SSW groundswell starts to trickle in, with a period of 17 seconds. The energy ticks up but the wind is still ruining it. Hang in there.

The standout by a mile is Monday, 17 August. That’s your day. The wind goes glassy on both the morning and afternoon sessions. The SSW groundswell is still there at 3ft, with a period of 16 seconds – that’s proper long-period energy. The combined energy is a solid moderate 547. This is a reef and beach setup, and with that very long period, it’s going to be lined up and powerful, especially on the reef sections. The downside is El Medano is inconsistent and rarely breaks, so you’ll need some luck and patience, but when it comes through it’ll be the best waves of the whole outlook. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

After that glassy Monday, we get a flicker on Tuesday, 18 August with the afternoon session turning glassy again as the SSW swell hangs around at 2ft and a 13-second period. Energy is moderate. It’s worth a look if you miss Monday.

The rest of the week and into the second week is a return to that messy cross-onshore wind and junk from the NE. We get a few more pulses of SSW groundswell, but the wind just won’t cooperate. By the time we hit Thursday, 27 August, the NE windswell starts pushing 6ft with a short period of 6 seconds, and the cross-onshore is back with a vengeance. That’s not paddle surfing – that’s a kiter’s messy playground.

So, to sum it up: the first stretch is dead. Monday the 17th is your real chance for something special with glassy conditions and a clean SSW groundswell. Tuesday afternoon is the backup. After that, it’s a bit of a drought again. Forecasts can always change, but based on what’s in front of us, make that Monday count.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Thu morning, min 23°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ENE on Wed morning, strong winds from the NE by Fri afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Fri night, min 23°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NE on Fri night, calm by Mon morning).

Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
Sunday
16
Monday
17
Tuesday
18
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
0
2
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
NE
5
1.1
NE
5
1
NE
6
0.9
NE
6
1.1
NE
6
1.3
NE
6
1.2
NE
6
1.1
NE
7
1.3
NE
6
1.2
NE
6
1
NE
7
0.5
SSW
16
0.5
SSW
17
0.7
SSW
16
0.5
SSW
18
0.9
SSW
16
0.7
SSW
15
0.9
SSW
14
0.7
SSW
14
0.7
SSW
13
0.5
S
16
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
31
64
61
58
77
128
113
118
124
102
104
151
162
276
176
353
234
301
192
184
137
Wind (km/h)
15
ENE
40
ENE
30
NE
30
NE
35
NE
30
NE
35
NE
40
NE
35
NE
25
NE
25
ENE
30
NE
25
NE
30
ENE
20
NE
5
ENE
5
ENE
5
W
10
ENE
5
E
5
NE
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
glassy
glassy
cross-on
glassy
glassy
High Tide
1:57PM2.15m
2:26AM1.95m
2:39PM2.22m
3:06AM1.97m
3:19PM2.22m
3:44AM1.94m
3:57PM2.14m
4:21AM1.87m
4:35PM2.00m
4:57AM1.77m
5:12PM1.82m
5:34AM1.66m
5:51PM1.63m
Low Tide
7:42AM0.13m
8:17PM-0.05m
8:23AM0.07m
8:58PM-0.08m
9:02AM0.05m
9:36PM-0.04m
9:40AM0.08m
10:13PM0.05m
10:18AM0.17m
10:47PM0.18m
10:55AM0.28m
11:22PM0.33m
11:35AM0.42m
11:58PM0.49m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:33
7:33
7:35
7:35
7:35
7:35
7:37
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:46
8:46
8:45
8:45
8:44
8:43
8:42
 mm
Temp °C
26
26
25
28
28
27
28
28
26
26
25
24
24
25
24
24
24
23
25
25
23
Feels °C
23
22
22
24
24
23
23
23
23
24
23
22
23
23
22
26
26
26
26
27
25
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for El Medano:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our El Medano surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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.

Nearest locationNearest