La Santa - El Quemao Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s a bit of a tough stretch for the Lanzarote crew. The only spot that’s been flagged with any real potential is La Santa - El Quemao, a heavy, expert-only reef break that needs a solid WNW swell to really fire. The problem is, the wind is going to be a cruel mistress for most of the period.

We start off on Monday the 27th of July with a 6ft swell from the NNE, but it’s a short-period 8 seconds and the wind is a fresh, cross-onshore N breeze at 19 mph. The water is a pleasant 72°F, bang on average for the time of year, but the surface is just lumpy and messy. This pattern of poor, cross-onshore wind and choppy conditions is going to be the story right through the week. The swell energy is moderate, hitting around 393 (moderate wave energy), but it’s all for nothing with that wind.

We do get a little glimmer on Sunday the 2nd of August. The swell drops right back to 3ft, but the wind goes glassy from the NNW. That’s a rare moment of clean, calm conditions. The swell is tiny though, and the energy is weak (164). It’s surfable, but you’d be scratching around for anything with any push. The crowd factor here is “sometimes”, so you might have company, but for a wave that size, it’s probably not going to be a zoo.

After that, it’s back to the same old story. The swell picks up again, hitting 8ft on the 6th of August, but it’s always accompanied by a fresh or strong cross-onshore wind. The energy is strong (809), but the quality is just not there for a paddle surfer. With that much wind and those kinds of conditions on a reef, it’s looking more like a kite surfer’s paradise than a surf spot.

The real standout, if you want to call it that, is the very end of the forecast. On the 11th of August, we see a 10ft swell from the NNE with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is very strong (1369), but the wind is a strong cross-onshore at 25 mph. This is expert territory only, and honestly, it’s going to be a washing machine. If you’re an absolute charger and you don’t mind a battle, you might find a few. But for the rest of us, this is a period to sit out.

To sum it up, the best of a bad bunch is the glassy Sunday morning on the 2nd of August. It’s small, but it’s clean. The rest of the 16 days look like a write-off for clean, quality surf at this break. The constant northerly winds are just killing it.

Rusty.

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