Surfing in the Canary Islands in August

Conditions in August

Water temp. : 23 °C
Wetsuit : Shorty or 2 mm

August repeats July's numbers and adds the crowd. The alisios are still running, the swell is short-period when it comes at all, and the north shore reefs stay off because they never get their twelve seconds.

The islands themselves are full: this is the peak of the European holiday season, and the beach breaks that were quiet in April now have families on them. That is not a reason to stay away if you are learning, because a soft, waist-high wave on sand with 23°C water and boardshorts is a good place to spend a week. It is a reason to be honest about what the trip is. Get in early, stay near El Cotillo or Famara, and treat any clean afternoon as unexpected.

Learning in August

For learning : Very good

Warm, small and safe, which is most of what a first week needs. The crowd is the only real drawback and it thins out before eight in the morning.

Where a beginner goes in August

These spots are reachable all year. What the month changes is the size of the waves, not the access.

Playa de Famara
LanzaroteBeginner

For an experienced surfer

Surf : Good

No. Come back in October, when the same coast has eight foot of groundswell and no trade wind.

How August compares

All twelve months, side by side

Where these figures come from

Air, rain and sunshine: WMO / NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Agadir Al Massira, a station some twenty kilometres inland and so a little warmer than the coast in summer. Swell, period and share of workable wind: Swell Archive and surf-forecast. Water temperature: seatemperature.org and weather-and-climate. Crowds and prices are an editorial judgement, not a measurement.