8 Best Surf Spots in Europe for Consistent Autumn Waves
The first September pulses of swell are here. We've already had a playful few sessions and the forecast is looking up for the next week or so, if you don't mind the grind.
Officially, astronomical autumn begins with the equinox on September 26th but meteorological autumn begins September 1st. Whichever way you cut it, we're either in autumn or about to get right there.
Given how dire the summer's been for surf in the UK, we decided to look at the most consistent surf spots across Europe and Morocco. But not by feel – we dove into 50 years' worth of data housed in a global wave hindcast -- which is basically a record of wave conditions across all ocean basins.
We then looked at swells over 3ft, but no bigger than 8ft. Why 8ft? On paper, it works for the purposes of what's actually surfable by paddling. In reality an 8ft wave isn't a thing (for...reasons). Then, cross-referenced the data to marry up with offshore wind.
What that gives is a highly caveated set of data for the most consistent autumn surf spots across Europe and Morocco. While it's not a 100% science, we're going to work with the available data for a best-bet list, more in-tune with the actual numbers, than personal opinion. Here's what we found.
**note, given the criteria, if you're looking for swells above head and a half, Ireland would be towards the top of this list. So we may produce a further article looking at biggest European surf zones too.**
8)Fistral, Cornwall
Thanks data for confirming what we know. Fistral's direction facing into the North Atlantic means it can easily lap up swells from either distant hurricanes or close-to-shore storms. What is not prevalent in the data is, it wasn't able to determine between South and North Fistral, which may have skewed the numbers a bit. Anyway, Fistral's where UK surfing was given its leg-up. Not the birthplace of UK surfing, that crown goes to Bridlington in the North East, when Hawaiian princes Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole and David Kawānanakoa first surfed back in 1890. Still Fistral is renowned globally – even if the rest of the world doesn't realise there's decent waves in England.
7) Praia de Leça da Palmeira, Northern Portugal,
The powerful beach break of Praia de Leça da Palmeira offers consistency right cross the board, when talking about the qualifying criteria above. It is a gorgeous A-frame, offering a tubing right hander on its day, with short, sharp rides but also you can surf it for over 200 metres on a westerly swell. It's also accessible through all stages of the tide.
6) Galicia, Spain
Perhaps best known for its costa da morte aka the Death Coast, but Galicia has been home to van-lifers and travelling surfers for decades. Surf around Cape Finisterre offers powerful Atlantic surf, with little to nothing in the way of that swell filtering through. Galicia's a consistent surf zone with remote beaches and really holds its own as a bit of a cultural melting pot, set amongst its own unique Spanish flavour.
5) Basque Country, Spain
If you've never sampled the delights of the Basque Country, it is well worth your time. San Sebastian is a brilliant city, with surf spot Zurriola located within walking distance of the inner-city, its horse-shoe shape is enveloped by a jetty on the western end, offering a point break when the swells start to ramp up. Point breaks for the breakfast, pintxos for lunch. Venture out of the city and at some point, you'll wind up at the world's favourite left-hand rivermouth mouth Mundaka. Maybe leave that one to the more advanced surfers but all around the north coast of Spain, there's dozens of reef set-ups and a few boulder points too. Sitting firmly at number five given it can translate swell out of the Bay of Biscay and organise it into consistency.
4) Hossegor, France
One of the reasons we wanted to set the data qualifying range at 8ft is that's a reasonable paddle size (on paper) for pounding world-class beachbreaks. Anything above that, and you're looking at step-offs and a ski. We'd even argue 8ft as a metric is a big too much for when Hossegor gets solid, but we have to level the playing field somewhere, as an 8ft swell in say, Cornwall, is still paddleable, depending on where you surf. Anyway, Hossegor is one of the greatest surf zones on the planet, throaty tubes that'll make your hair stand on end detonate close to shore, offering a spectacle like no other. While the loss of the WSL's Quik Pro is still mourned across European surf communities, Quik Fest is doing the heavy work is showcasing what this special place has to offer.
3) Sagres, Portugal
A little surprising to see this so high on the list. The Algarve is an under-appreciated surf zone across Europe's western flank. But there are flights direct from Newquay to Faro, with Sagres an hour and a half's drive to the west, right on the south westerly tip of Portugal. There's a combination of things going on here, likely consistent through most conditions, Sagres' sheltered cove offers protection from wind and laps up swell out of the North Atlantic. While the wave quality may not be as good as others on the list, the amount of surfable days remains higher.
2) Anchor Point, Morocco
Ok, we cheated a bit. But surfing Morocco is a right of passage for European surfers, like Bali to Aus of Baja to the US. The Taghazout area of Morocco has long been lauded as a cross-roads of cultures and people, from the first surfers to the travelling nomadic remote workers of today – it's always had a transient, 'let's meet there', feel about it. Really helps that the surf pumps too. Anchor Point is the premiere Moroccan point break – but scoot north of south and you'll find equal quality surf over a short distance. For our money, we'd camp up at Dfrost – and boutique surf and yoga retreat that's been in the surf village for almost 20-years. To say they know their stuff would be an understatement.
1) Joint top: Ericeira and Peniche, Portugal
The most consistent autumn surf spots in Europe. Peniche is home to world-class wave, Supertubos but also has waves nearby for anyone not wanting to get after that. Baleal offers shelter and a variety of options when huge storms roll in. Meanwhile, Ericeira is a complex mix of hardcore, hell cat waves and a few less crazy spots that make up the area. It's also a World Surfing Reserve, meaning the joint's so swell revevred that it's now been protected for generations to come, one of only 14 across the world. Head to Ericeira for consistency, head to Peniche for a bit more variety, you can't really go wrong with either, unless a giant, mutant swell gets burped out of the Atlantic. In which case, drive to Nazare to watch the big wave show.
