La Santa - El Quemao Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a 16-day look at the Lanzarote scene, and I’ll be honest with you – it’s a tricky one. The only spot on the radar is the heavy-hitter, La Santa - El Quemao, an expert-level reef break that's exposed to the swell. And right now, it’s just not lining up.

The whole stretch looks like a write-off for clean, rideable waves. The wind is locked in from the NNE, blowing cross or cross-onshore, and it’s not letting up. That means lumpy, choppy, messy conditions day after day. The swell is mostly short-period windswell, around 5 to 8 seconds, which is just junk for a wave like this. The water temperature is sitting at 73°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

We kick off on Wednesday, 29 July, with a measly 4ft of NNE windswell and a 5-second period. Combined energy is a weak 135, and the wind is a fresh cross-shore 19 mph. It’s just poor. Thursday the 30th is a little bigger at 6ft, but the period is still a short 7 seconds, and the wind is a fresh 22 mph cross-onshore. Energy climbs to 367-389, but it’s all junk. Friday and the weekend are the same story: lumpy, choppy, and not worth paddling out.

There’s a glimmer of something different around Tuesday, 4 August, when a tiny 1ft WNW swell shows up with a 9-second period, but the combined energy is a pathetic 32. The wind is still cross. By Wednesday and Thursday the 5th and 6th, we see a similar pattern: tiny 2ft WNW swell, periods up to 12 seconds, but energy is still well under 100. That’s a long-period groundswell, but it’s so small it’s nearly invisible, and the cross-wind will ruin any chance of a clean wave.

The only real pulse of size comes on Friday, 7 August, when the swell jumps back to 8ft from the NNE at 8 seconds. Combined energy hits 725, which is strong. But that’s double overhead, and with the wind locked in cross-onshore, this is expert-only territory – and it’s still going to be a bumpy, challenging mess. That trend continues through the weekend and into the second week, with swell sizes between 5ft and 7ft, but always with that annoying cross or cross-onshore wind. The wind keeps the surface ugly.

There’s a gap of about a week where the surf is so small and poorly shaped it’s not worth mentioning. The second week, from the 7th onwards, is just more of the same: bigger, messy swell with no clean window. The period stays short, the wind stays wrong, and the conditions stay poor.

So, what’s the best of a bad bunch? Honestly, there’s nothing I’d call a standout. If you’re an expert and you’re desperate, the biggest swell hits on Friday, 7 August, with 8ft from the NNE, but it’s rough. For a more manageable size, the mornings of Saturday, 8 August, and Sunday, 9 August, offer 6ft to 7ft, but the wind is still cross-onshore.

This is a classic case of an exposed reef break that just can’t handle the prevailing wind. For the next 16 days, the setup looks more suited to kite surfing than paddle surfing. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, I’d save the energy.

Rusty.

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