La Santa - El Quemao Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee—or something stronger—because I’ve had a good look at what’s coming for La Santa - El Quemao. This is a heavy reef slab on Lanzarote, expert-only territory. It needs the right combo of NW swell and clean wind to fire, and honestly, for the next 16 days, the stars are not aligning. Let’s walk through it.

The picture starts with a bit of a tease. On Saturday 4th July morning, we’ve got clear skies, light northwest offshore wind at 6 mph, and a 4 ft swell from the north with a 10-second period. Combined energy is moderate at 338. That’s the best setup of the whole outlook. The water temperature sits at 71°F—about average for the time of year (the anomaly is only +0.9°F). It’s not big, it’s not epic, but it’s clean. The wave comment flags it as marginal—tide might be an issue—but if you’re an expert and you know this wave, Saturday morning is your window.

After that, the wheels fall off. From Sunday 5th July right through to Sunday 19th July, every single session is marked as poor conditions. The wind turns cross-onshore and stays that way—ranging from gentle breezes up to fresh gusts of 22 mph. The swell direction swings from N to NNE, and the energy climbs later in the run (into the 400s and even 604 in the final sessions), but it’s all cross-onshore chop and lumpy conditions. That many days of poor wind means the wave quality will be shot. For a wave like La Santa – El Quemao, messy cross-onshore wind turns a world-class left into a washing machine. Not worth paddling out unless you’re chasing a beating.

So here’s the cold truth: there is one standout window—Saturday 4th July morning—and it’s only marginal at that. The offshore wind and light breeze make it clean, and the swell is rideable for experts. After that, it’s a solid two-week stretch of poor surf. This is a wave that demands perfection, and it’s not getting it.

If I were you, I’d be checking the forecast on Friday 3rd for any last-minute tweaks to Saturday morning, then hanging up the wetsuit for a while. The long-range stuff shows more size (over 7 ft from 15th July onward), but with wind that strong from the north-northeast, that’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one. For now, La Santa is taking a long nap.

Rusty.

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