Tenerife surf forecast: La Izquierda, Las Américas
La Izquierda, also called the Spanish Left, is a reef break with several peaks. One guide calls it the most famous left in Tenerife, and it sits right by the palm-dotted promenades of Playa de las Américas. It faces south-west over a shallow reef, and the best days come with mid to high tide and a north-east wind.
La Izquierda hour by hour
The table shows wave size, wind and tide for La Izquierda, hour by hour. The break works best with waves of 1.2 to 2.5 m, a north-east wind and a mid to high tide.
Updated 07:58next run 12:40Open-Meteo wave and wind models
07:00–11:00 · cross-offshore
Today 3 Nov
Worth it 07-11, clean chest-shoulder, cross-offshore NNW.
Kiwi's best shot: 07:00–11:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 01:20
- High
- 07:45
- Low
- 14:30
- High
- 20:43
- Sunrise
- 07:19
- Sunset
- 18:21
Every hour, 05–21
Tomorrow 4 Nov
Worth it 08-12, clean waist-chest, glassy.
Best window: 08:00–12:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 02:39
- High
- 08:50
- Low
- 15:25
- High
- 21:34
- Sunrise
- 07:20
- Sunset
- 18:20
Every hour, 05–21
Thursday 5 Nov
Worth it 07-10, clean waist-chest, glassy.
Best window: 07:00–10:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 03:37
- High
- 09:44
- Low
- 16:08
- High
- 22:16
- Sunrise
- 07:20
- Sunset
- 18:20
Every 3 hours
Friday 6 Nov
Worth it 07-09, clean waist-chest, glassy.
Best window: 07:00–09:00
Tide and daylight
- Low
- 04:22
- High
- 10:26
- Low
- 16:46
- High
- 22:55
- Sunrise
- 07:21
- Sunset
- 18:19
Every 3 hours
Forecast point: Tenerife (28.064, -16.734). Waves = estimated breaking height at the beach. Data: Open-Meteo wave and weather models (CC BY 4.0). Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. Surf at your own risk.
Watch the wind arrow first. At this break a north-east wind blows offshore. Winds from the south-west quarter blow straight in.
Surfing La Izquierda and the south coast
Playa de las Américas has both beach and reef breaks, and its surf is known to be consistent. The beach breaks here are all lefts, and there are left and right reef breaks as well. Across Tenerife, many spots have sharp volcanic bottoms, so take extra care in big swells.
La Izquierda (Spanish Left / Las Palmeras)
Reef breakIntermediate+This is a left-breaking reef with several peaks, right by the Playa de las Américas promenade. One guide says it suits advanced surfers only, and it lists localism and rocks as hazards.
We rate it intermediate and up, and we flag shallow reef, urchins and big crowds. Sources: gonna.surf
El Medano
Beach and reef~19 km awayEl Medano mixes beach and reef breaks. One forecast lists it about 19 km from Playa de las Américas. Sources: surf-forecast.com · es.surf-forecast.com
La Fitenia
Reef breakCentre & southLa Fitenia is a reef break. It is grouped with the island's centre and south spots, together with Las Américas. Sources: surf-forecast.com · gonna.surf
El Conquistador
Beach and reefCentre & southEl Conquistador is a mix of beach and reef. It is listed among the centre and south spots. Sources: surf-forecast.com · gonna.surf
Las Galletas
Reef breakTenerifeLas Galletas is another of the reef breaks on the Tenerife list. Sources: surf-forecast.com
What Tenerife needs to fire
These are the exact rules behind Kiwi's rating for this spot. Every hour of the forecast is scored on all four, then turned into a rating of 1 to 5 stars.
Swell
South to north-west swells
The break faces south-west and picks up swell from about 200° to 310°, which means south round to north-west.
Wind
North-east wind is offshore
A north-east wind blows offshore here. Last December, winds were offshore about 87% of the time.
Tide
Mid to high tide
We rate mid to high tide as best over this shallow reef.
Size
1.2–2.5 m sweet spot
Below about 0.6 m it is usually too small. Above about 3.5 m it gets too big.
Shortcut: look for a south to north-west swell of 1.2–2.5 m, a north-east wind and a mid to high tide.
The best months to surf Tenerife
We replayed Kiwi's rating on every day of the last year and counted how often Tenerife's best window reached 4 or 5 stars.
Nov–FebThe main season
This is the most reliable stretch of the year, with good days on about 70% of days in November, 74% in December and 68% in February. January drops to about 52%.
Mar–MayMixed spring
March was the weakest month in our year, with only 13% good days. April and May come back to over half the days, and May had the most top-rated days of the year at 35%.
Jun–AugQuieter summer
Good days fall to roughly 29–42%. One guide says summer here tends to be mostly flat.
Sep–OctWarmest water, fair odds
About 40% of days are good. The sea is close to 25 °C.
Before you go
Reef, rocks and urchins
The reef is shallow and has sea urchins. Sources also warn about rocks.
Many Tenerife spots have sharp volcanic bottoms, so take care when the swell is big. Sources: gonna.surf · es.surf-forecast.com · gonna.surf
Crowds and locals
Expect a very crowded line-up. When the break is working it is likely to be busy, and guides mention locals and localism. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com · gonna.surf
Finding the break
The break sits right by the palm-dotted promenades of Playa de las Américas. It has several peaks that break left. Sources: gonna.surf
Water temperature
From January to April the sea is about 19.4–20 °C.
In May, June and December the water is about 21–21.5 °C.
From July to November it is 23–25 °C.
Reading the forecast
Forecasts are made for open water near the coast, and the waves that break are often smaller at less exposed spots.
Always check the conditions yourself when you arrive, and only paddle out if you are sure it is safe for your level. Sources: es.surf-forecast.com · gonna.surf
Options around the island
Tenerife has reef and beach breaks on both coasts, with surf all year round. If Las Américas is not working, El Medano is about 19 km away. Sources: gonna.surf · es.surf-forecast.com
Where the numbers come from
The method
Kiwi takes Open-Meteo's wave and wind models (ECMWF WAM, Météo-France, NOAA GFS and Open-Meteo's best-match blend) at a point about 5 km off Tenerife. There is no buoy correction here yet: these are the models as they come.
Each hour is scored on the four rules above (swell, wind, tide, size). The stars are calibrated on a full year of data for Spain, so 4 stars at Tenerife is a genuinely good day by that country's standard.
What we can say
The season chart and the stars use the same rules, replayed on the archive: a month marked good was good by these rules, not by a surf report.
Without a buoy nearby, the size at the beach is our model's estimate, not a measurement.
Tenerife surf questions
Is La Izquierda in Tenerife good for beginners?
No. We rate it intermediate and up, and one guide says it is for advanced surfers only. We also flag shallow reef, urchins and big crowds.
When is the best time to surf Las Américas?
November to February is the most reliable time, with good days on up to about 74% of days in December. Summer is quieter, and one source says it tends to be mostly flat.
How cold is the water in Tenerife in December?
In December the sea is about 21.5 °C.
What wind is offshore at La Izquierda?
A north-east wind blows offshore at this break. One guide puts the ideal wind for Playa de las Américas as easterly.
Does the tide matter at La Izquierda?
Our setup favours mid to high tide over the shallow reef. One source says tide doesn't change surf quality at Playa de las Américas in general.
Is La Izquierda crowded?
Yes, it gets very crowded. It is likely to be busy whenever it works, and guides mention localism.
Check La Izquierda before you paddle out
Open the hourly table to see when swell, a north-east wind and a mid to high tide line up at Las Américas.