La Santa - El Quemao Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for La Santa - El Quemao (Lanzarote).

Truth be told, it’s a tough stretch ahead. We’ve got a near two-week run of pretty ordinary conditions before anything genuinely worth paddling out for shows up. The first few days are a write-off – strong cross and cross-onshore winds, lumpy chop, and the swell is coming from the wrong direction for this spot. La Santa - El Quemao really wants a solid WNW groundswell to fire, and we’re stuck with NNE and N windswell for the first week. The combined energy is moderate but it’s messy and blown out. There’s no real surf recommendation until the second week.

Now, there’s a flicker of hope on Sunday the 13th of September. The morning’s still marginal with a light cross-shore, but by Sunday afternoon we’ve got a clean window. The wind swings around to an ENE 3 mph cross-off, light air, and the water will be glassy. Swell is small – 4 ft from the N at 8 seconds – but that’s solid enough for a reef like this, and clean conditions make all the difference. It’s an expert break, no mistake, and with the right tide you might grab a few.

After that, it’s back to mediocrity. Monday the 14th shows a longer-period NNW groundswell (13 seconds) but the swell height drops to 3 ft and the wind gets messy again. The energy is moderate but the quality isn’t there.

The real standout, if you’re willing to wait, is Tuesday the 22nd and Wednesday the 23rd of September. A proper long-period NNW groundswell arrives – 16 seconds on Tuesday morning, 4 ft, and the combined energy jumps strong. By Tuesday afternoon it’s 5 ft with a 15-second period and very strong energy. Wednesday morning holds at 5 ft, 14 seconds, still very strong. This is what La Santa - El Quemao was built for. Unfortunately, the wind is cross-onshore from the N at 12-19 mph, so it’ll be lumpy and choppy. Not clean. The swell direction (NNW) is close to optimum (WNW) but not perfect, and the wind kills the quality. Still, for experts only – 5 ft is big on this reef, and with that kind of period it’ll be powerful. If you’re a local and know the takeoffs, it could still offer some heavy ones, but it’s not the pristine day we’d hope for.

So, to wrap it up: the best on offer is Sunday the 13th of September afternoon for small, clean, glassy waves – a rare moment of calm. The long-range pulse late in the month (22nd-23rd) is promising but far off and likely blown out. Crowds at La Santa - El Quemao are sometimes an issue, but given the conditions, it’s unlikely to be packed.

Keep an eye on the forecasts, but honestly, this stretch is mostly about waiting for a better swell and a cleaner wind window.

Rusty.

Read more