Surf Forecasts:
El Sardinero - Primera surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, NW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 9s period, NW swell with 924 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 5s period with NE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for El Sardinero - Primera this week:
The surf forecast for El Sardinero - Primera over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at El Sardinero - Primera in the next 16 days are 2.3m 9s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for El Sardinero - Primera over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. We’re looking at the Sardinero stretch for the next couple of weeks, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a mixed bag with some quiet spells. The first recommendation worth a mention starts from this Saturday afternoon, but things really don’t get interesting until the week after.
Right off the bat, we’re dealing with a period of mainly weak, messy surf. Saturday the 22nd is a write-off; we’ve got a cross-onshore wind from the ENE at 19 mph killing any chance of a decent wave with a tiny 3ft swell from the NNW. Sunday the 23rd to Thursday the 27th is just as quiet, with swell heights staying under 3ft and the energy levels are weak – barely hitting triple digits on that combined energy scale (77 on Sunday morning). The water temp is sitting at a touch warmer than usual for the time of year at 73°, but that won’t help the waves.
Things start to look a little more promising on Thursday afternoon the 27th, but it’s still only small. That cross-offshore wind from the WNW is a plus, and we get a bit more energy (136), but the waves are still just ordinary at 3ft from the NW.
Now, the real standout is going to be Friday morning the 28th. This is our first true highlight. El Sardinero – Primera will be seeing a solid 8ft swell rolling in from the NW, with a period of 9 seconds. That’s a moderate energy pulse (944) and with light offshore WSW winds at 6 mph, the surf should be clean and lined up. Keep in mind, at that size it’s going to be a bit much for beginners; you’ll want some experience. The crowd situation here is rated as "often," so expect some company for the good ones. The swell direction is coming from the NW, and while the optimum direction here is N, the energy and clean conditions make it the best bet by a long shot.
The Saturday the 29th is a step down but still surfable in the morning with a 5ft NW swell and light cross-offshore winds, but it’s a bit ordinary.
We then hit another lull from Sunday the 30th through to Thursday the 3rd of September. It’s mostly small and weak with cross-onshore breezes, just not worth paddling out for.
But hang in there because Saturday the 5th of September is another strong candidate. The morning looks excellent – a clean 5ft swell from the NNW with a long 12-second period, glassy conditions thanks to a light easterly breeze, and strong wave energy pumping in at 731. That’s the kind of long-period groundswell that will wrap in nicely and could produce some proper shape, especially with the wind being so light. The crowd will be there, but for a clean 5ft glassy wave, it’s worth it.
The rest of that day and into the 6th of September it drops off again, with cross-offshore winds but losing size and energy.
So, to wrap it up: the two best windows for El Sardinero – Primera are Friday morning the 28th of August for some solid, clean 8ft sets, and Saturday morning the 5th of September for a glassy, longer-period 5ft groundswell. The rest of the time, you’re mostly looking at small, weak, or wind-affected conditions.
Stay stoked, and I’ll see you in the water.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Mon afternoon, min 18°C on Sun morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ENE on Sat afternoon, calm by Sun night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 28°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Fri morning). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | N 6 | NE 6 | NNE 7 | N 5 | NNE 6 | N 6 | NW 13 | NNW 12 | NW 7 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 | NW 11 | NW 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
99 | 45 | 39 | 36 | 73 | 14 | 25 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 75 | 24 | 30 | 18 | 80 | 135 | 161 | 924 | 671 | 475 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:01AM2.90m | 2:42PM3.07m | 3:05AM3.10m | 3:33PM3.32m | 3:49AM3.33m | 4:12PM3.57m | 4:25AM3.57m | 4:45PM3.80m | 4:57AM3.78m | 5:15PM4.00m | 5:28AM3.95m | 5:44PM4.16m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:32PM1.81m | 8:11AM1.69m | 8:51PM1.63m | 9:11AM1.44m | 9:40PM1.38m | 9:53AM1.18m | 10:17PM1.12m | 10:29AM0.93m | 10:50PM0.88m | 11:01AM0.71m | 11:21PM0.68m | 11:32AM0.54m | 11:52PM0.53m | |||||||
— | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | |
— | 9:07 | — | — | 9:06 | — | — | 9:05 | — | — | 9:02 | — | — | 9:00 | — | — | 9:00 | — | 8:58 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 28 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 28 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 21 |
Feels °C | 19 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 9 | NE 5 | N 6 | N 7 | NNE 7 | N 5 | NNE 6 | N 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 12 | NW 7 | NW 6 | NW 9 | NW 4 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 9 | NW 11 | NW 10 |
99 | 45 | 39 | 24 | 73 | 14 | 25 | 12 | 3 | 14 | 75 | 22 | 30 | 16 | 80 | 135 | 161 | 924 | 671 | 475 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 7 | NE 5 | NNW 8 | W 10 | ENE 4 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NNE 5 | NW 8 | NW 11 | NW 10 | ENE 3 | NW 8 | N 7 | N 8 | NNW 13 | N 8 | N 7 | N 7 |
11 | 39 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 30 | 24 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 20 | 10 | 9 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 11 | W 10 | N 10 | — | N 14 | NW 13 | — | N 9 | — | N 7 | — | — | — | N 8 | — | N 10 | N 10 |
— | 44 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | 4 | 6 | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | — | 2 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 4 | — | — | NE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | — | — | NW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
38 | — | — | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 66 | 0 | 8 | 48 | 8 | 172 | 194 | 172 | 433 | 433 | 3 | 13 | 138 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 439 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Spain - Cantabria | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Spain (Europe) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the El Sardinero - Primera Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for El Sardinero - Primera provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at El Sardinero - Primera can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our El Sardinero - Primera 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 Sardinero - Primera) 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 Sardinero - Primera 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.
El Sardinero - Primera is 9 km (6 miles) from the city of El Astillero. If you plan a holiday in Spain - Cantabria, look for hotels and other accommodation in El Astillero. El Astillero has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











