Surf in Galicia, one of the best surf destinations in Spain

With its more than 1500 km of coast, Galicia is splattered with a great quantity of beaches that let us travel to different spots in a short amount of time. Apart from its beaches, Galicia offers to its visitors cliffs, traditional towns and villas with charm and a spectacular gastronomy. All of this makes surf in Galicia into a must visit for all the surf lovers.

When to go to surf in Galicia?

The best season for waves in Galicia is spring and autumn. In between the months of September and February.

What wetsuit do I bring to Galicia?

The water in Galicia is cold in summer and in winter. I´m sure a lot of you will be surprised with what we are going tosay now, but in Galicia you´ll need a 4/3 wetsuit even in the summer. In winter, the complete kit, 4/3 mm or 5/4/3 mm with boots, gloves and hood (or vest with hood). The water temperature can get to a low 10 degrees.

What surfboard do I bring to Galicia?

If you travel to Galicia between the months of September and March, we will give you the same recommendation as the Basque Country surftrip.  It would be recommended to bring an all-terrain board that works with everything. A 3DX from DHD type of surfboard, which you can read our review here or the DNA, a board used by Mick Fanning.

On the other hand if you are thinking about a surftrip to Galicia in the summer, then it´s another story. June, July and August are the months with less constancy for waves. So we recommend a longboard, a mini-malibu or a softboard epoxy type by Mick Fanning to get that extra volume that the waves need around this time. In Costa da Morte there are good beaches to initiate in the longboard.

Which are the best beaches to surf in Galicia?

It´s not easy to do a ranking of the best beaches to surf at in Galicia. There are a lot of beaches and the extension of the coast makes it hard. So we are glad to share our preferred spots to surf at in this marvelous coast.

Surf route through Galicia

Surf route through Galicia

 

1. Pantin

The beach of Pantin may be the most well known in the Galician coast.  On one hand thanks to it hosting the Pantin Classic Galicia Pro, a valid try for the World Surf League circuit. A true legend, Pantin is a beach with waves practically all year long that hold in a variety of conditions. Although, if you want to enjoy the waves of Pantin in all its splendor, the ideal conditions are when there are southern winds and the swell comes from the west between 1.5 and 2 meters.

Pantin Beach Galicia

Foto @Alawa Surf Camp

2. Doñinos

Situated near the city of Ferrol, it´s another of the mythical Galician beaches. We´re talking about a sandy beach that stretches out for almost 2 km with fine sand and waves of good quality. Same as the Pantin, the beach of Doñinos enjoys very consistent conditions for surf practically during the whole year. If we could choose a time to go, we´d say that around spring and summer are the best seasons to surf here.

Wind: West

Swell: West – Northwest

Size: 2 meters

Tide: Depends on the bottom, but best with low tide

3. Razo

The beach of Razo has more the 5 km of sand and is one of the best places to surf in Galicia. A beach that is best enjoyed in the autumn. That time of the year is favored by the winds from the south and the sea swelling from the northwest.

Razo can boast of having right and left peaks, and functions independently from the tide. Although it´s always better to surf in medium tide rising. Without a doubt a good place to learn to surf, but also for intermediate level surfers and advanced.

Wind: South

Swell: Northwest

Size: 2 meters

Tide: Depends on the bottom, but best with midhigh tide

4. Patos

Beach of Patos

photo @singlequiver

The beach of Patos, near Vigo, enjoys privileged vistas. From its sands you can see the isles of Cies.  The fact that it´s so near to the city is important, a lot of people pass through these peaks. In the work days it´s possible to surf with very few people, but the weekdays its best to look for an alternative plan. Same as Razo, Patos can boast of having left and right peaks. Although in this case, Patos works better with its left.

Wind: South

Swell: Northwest

Size: 2 meters

Tide: Mid tide / High tide

5. Sabon

We finish off the route with Sabon beach. Sabon is found in the municipality of Arteixo and it’s  a beach that needs quite a bit of sea and that because the breakwater stops the waves. Despite this, when it works it’s one of the best spots in the Galician coast. There are various peaks that break with any tide and it´s apt for any level.

Wind: South / Southwest

Swell: Northwest / West

Size: 2 meters

Tide: All tides

And to finish off we leave you with this excellent video called “Alive/Alive” Galicia that shows us once again the beauty and secrets that are hidden in our coast.

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