El Cotillo surf is now the premier offering of Fuerteventura. The main draw is a beach that works fantastically on NE winds and W swells – the Canarian combo.
An introduction to El Cotillo Surf
El Cotillo is slowly but surely establishing itself as the surf hub of Fuerteventura. It’s got access to a pretty great beach break on the south side of the town. There, the waves change from mushy ankle burners for the groms and learners in the summer months to pretty glassy sets of left-to-right A-frame peaks that can be very fast and even hollow on big winter storm days. That comes coupled with some remoter beaches to the south and to the north, along with one epic harbor break that’s got serious teeth. It’s a versatile place to hit the waves.
Mainly, though, we think El Cotillo stands out because of the quality of its surf schools and surf rentals. They are among the best in the whole Canaries and they have access to breaks where the vibe is way more chilled than, say, Palma or Tenerife. On top of that, the chilled town offers oodles of cute little surf rentals for couples and groups, along with a few boutique hotels that are within walking distance of the waves. It’s a solid choice for surfing in Fuerteventura!
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This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in the Canary Islands
El Cotillo surf at a glance
The good
- Great beach breaks within walking distance of the town
- Fantastic array of surf schools and rentals
- Big winter days
The bad
- Can be windy
- Lacks quality reef breaks
What’s in this guide to El Cotillo surf?
Where is El Cotillo?
El Cotillo is on the western shoreline of Fuerteventura. It’s not hard to get to from the main north-shore resort of Corralejo. Just drive down the FV-109 and then the FV-10 via Lajares – the trip is about 25 minutes in all. What makes this such a fantastic surf option is that the town is angled neatly westwards into the face of the big Atlantic, which means swells come in here without much interruption form the rest of the archipelago.
A guide to the El Cotillo surf spots
The most popular spots to surf in El Cotillo are just below the cliffs on the south side of the town. The locals kinda’ look at that as one continuous beachfront, but there’s actually some difference in the waves you get at the north and the south ends, so we’ve gone ahead and split it up for ya’ll below…
El Hierro
El Hierro isn’t actually in El Cotillo itself but we mention it here because it’s unquestionably one of the most famous breaks on the whole island. It’s only about 20 minutes in the car if you did want to drive up with the board. You’ll find it on a rocky bay just outside of the Majanicho inlet, where it offers consistent A-frames and lovely sandbar peaks over a little bit of rock reef.
We’ve got a complete guide to surfing in El Hierro right here – check it out!
Spew Pits
The Spew Pits are the gnarliest breaks in Cotillo. They lie just outside of the harbor mouth and break a pretty hefty paddle from the shore. When the NW swells and NE winds are flowing in midwinter, these can mimic a mini Nazare or La Santa, offering fearsome bombs that whistle overhead into big, beefy shoulders. Warning: Experts only. The reef is shallow and the rips are huge. If you’re not up to it then make do with watching.
Playa del Castillo (or El Cotillo north)
Playa del Castillo is technically the name for just the north part of El Cotillo’s main beach. Most of the locals will just say El Cotillo, though. It’s worth knowing about separately because it’s one of the more protected spots in the town. The high cliffs and even El Cotillo itself offer plenty of protection from dead-in northerly winds in the winter months and can even help temper the offshore easterlies when they get too hefty.
The result? Somewhere that works a charm on those large Atlantic groundswell pulses from the north and west. When that happens, the beach favors a right-hand break as the headland where the town sits can almost act as a sort of point. Combined with nice offshores things can get hollow, but other days it will be a simple close out with board-breaking power.
When the summer swings around, Playa del Castillo gets way more relaxed and offers little mushburgers for learners. It’s hardly a surprise that its a fav of the local surf schools, eh?
Piedra Playa/Playa del Aljibe de la Cueva
The south end of the main El Cotillo beach is eitehr called Piedra or Playa del Aljibe de la Cueva. Whatever name you give it, you can expect pretty similar beach break waves with a small patchwork of rock reef underfoot. The only real difference between the breaks here and at El Cotillo north is that it’s all a little more exposed, meaning northerly winter winds are crossshore. It’s also a little less accessible than the top end of the bay, so sees just a fraction of the crowds.
Playa de las Mujeres
Playa de las Mujeres is a great place to escape the crowds (and the abundance of surf schools) that now appear in El Cotillo throughout the peak season months. It’s a 40-minute drive through the rugged heart of the island from the town, but you will be rewarded by an empty opening in the west coast that picks up pretty much any live swell in the Atlantic. It’s a good-qaulity beach break too, with plenty of shape combined with offshore easterlies, although rips can be a hazard when its huge. We’d say it’s a prime intermediate spot. Bigger days at Playa de las Mujeres might be hollow.
Shipwreck/American Star
This is named for the huge rusting wreck of the American Star ship that was once visible here but has since sunk even deeper down the ledges of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a decent break that’s much like the rest of the west coast – all beach break broken up by rock reef here and there. The waves have a tendency to be sucky at high tide and quite dumpy but the seclusion you can get here is brilliant. Agian, it’s another solid intermediate+ option.
Corralejo
Corralejo is the main town on the northern end of Fuerteventura. It’s a strange mix of families and surfers, and is also popular with the windsurfing crowd on account of the steady easterlies that come across from Africa in the summer months. There are some good breaks here, especially if you’re willing to travel across to Los Lobos – the home of one of the longest rights in these islands.
We’ve got a complete guide to surfing in Corralejo right here
Where to stay when surfing in El Cotillo
El Cotillo now offers all sorts of hotels. They’re actually a bit better than the bunch that’s on offer over in the resort town of Corralejo if you ask us – more edgy, more surf orientated, just a bit cooler…
Cotillo Arena
We’d recommend this cozy little pad to any surfing couples who’d like to stick around for a long-term session in this Canarian town. It’s got all you could want, from a swish lounge to a well-equipped kitchen, not to mention unrivaled access to the white-sand beaches right in front of town.
Casa del Castillo
Another pick for couples on a surf trip together is
Casa del Castillo. It’s conveniently sat just above the main Castillo beach where most of the surf goes on here. So, you’ll be able to walk to the waves and return to your own spacious duplex apartment. Prices are also pretty bargain here.
When to surf in El Cotillo
El Cotillo gets the full force of the western and northwestern swell channels that power much of Lanzarote and the north shore of Fuerteventura. Those swell directions work much better during the winter time, but the consistency is fairly good here so you can also find waves from May to August. In fact, there are only really two surf seasons – summer and winter. Check em out…
Summer (April-October)
Summers are long in the Canaries. They bring strong easterly winds from Africa and soaring temperatures that peak above 100 F with ease. The swells in the Atlantic Ocean, just as most of mainland Europe will be feeling, calm down a lot, so you won’t get the heavy bombs of Spew Pits firing. However, it’s a great option for beginner surfers as spots like Playa de Castillo and others can really tame northerly winds and offer fantastic small wave conditions for the learners.
Winter (November-March)
Winter sees the bigger swells start firing in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. That can herald everything from overhead to triple on the largest days, which is when you’ll see the Spew Pits start working off El Cotillo harbor. It’s the time to chase the more challenging El Cotillo surf spots, with bigger sets hitting Castillo and Piedra Playa overall. There also tend to be fewer people around in the middle of winter, Christmas aside.
Surf shops in El Cotillo
There are some wonderful surf shops on Fuerteventura today. What’s more, the best of them make their home in El Cotillo. Woop!
Carricart Surfboards
Support a local shaper by skipping the pop-out boards and getting down to Carricart Surfboards. These guys are maestros of ding repairs (a common problem on rocky Fuerteventura) and make some stunning sticks on a custom basis.
Riders Surf’N Bike
A very welcoming surf shop come bike shop that offers family friendly tuition and whatnot, Riders Surf’N Bike is right in the heart of the town center. We especially like how new and well-kept the rental stock is.
Where to eat and drink in El Cotillo
There are lots of nice spots to settle in for a bite to eat and a post-surf beer in El Cotillo. It’s very much your bona fide surfer’s town a la Caleta da Famara up in Lanza!
La Ballena El Cotillo
La Ballena El Cotillo is a cocktail bar come eatery that overlooks the cliffs on the south side of town – perfect for surfers returning to the pad after a sesh! We mention them here because they have a menu of fantastic Canarian seafood and some great deals on long drinks. Man, we dream of those evening sessions all the time!
La Azotea del Cotillo
There’s a stunning rooftop terrace that opens up to offer 360-degree views of the volcanic mountains and the La Concha beaches of Fuerteventura here. Oh, and there’s a menu of Canaries-inspired tapas dishes that you’ll be dreaming of for months afterwards! It’s attached to our fav place to stay, Cotillo House.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
