Best Time to Surf in Caleta de Famara, Lanzarote
Famara's surf season runs September to February, the water stays between 18 and 23 degrees Celsius, and beginner waves work near the village all year.
The best time to surf in Caleta de Famara is September to the end of February. Calima Surf School, the local school, says the swell is most reliable then and the sea is still warm from summer. Beginner waves near the village work year-round, so a flat week in the main season rarely means no surf at all.
When is the best time to surf in Caleta de Famara?
Calima Surf School names September to the end of February as Famara's best surf season, with the sea warmest from August to November. A separate Lanzarote tourism guide narrows the most exciting window for experienced surfers to roughly October through January. The general break profile for Famara notes, separately, that summer tends to run flat.
Those three sources agree on the shape of the year even though none of them counts actual surf days. Autumn into winter is the main season, spring is a quieter in-between stretch, and summer is the slow patch. If your trip is fixed to the summer holidays, book a lesson at the Caleta de Famara surfing page anyway. The inshore beginner waves near the village stay workable even when the bigger outer peaks go flat.
Famara's surf season, month by month
No source publishes a day-count of surfable swell at Famara. The table below instead follows the season windows Calima and the tourism guide describe in their own words, not a wave-model score. Treat the 'typical conditions' column as a season description, not a day-by-day forecast.
| Months | Typical conditions | Who it suits best |
|---|---|---|
| Oct-Jan | Peak season; the independent guide's narrower window for advanced surfers | Intermediate and advanced surfers chasing the outer peaks |
| Sep, Feb | Still inside Calima's named best-surf window, either side of the peak | All levels; good all-round month to book a trip |
| Mar-May | Shoulder months; no source calls them flat, but none names them as peak either | Beginners and improvers; worth checking the forecast before a trip built around advanced waves |
| Jun-Aug | Summer; surf-forecast.com's general profile for Famara calls it mostly flat | Beginners; the village is also busiest with summer visitors |
How do you get to Caleta de Famara?
Famara sits about 27-30 km from Lanzarote Airport (ACE), close to the island's capital Arrecife; a shuttle operator puts the drive at around 36 minutes by road. A public bus runs too, but it typically needs a change in Arrecife, so plan on roughly an hour if you go that route instead of a car or a transfer.
Most surfers rent a car for the trip. It helps you reach Famara itself and chase a better swell direction elsewhere on the island on a day it does not suit Famara, such as Orzola or Arrieta. The village itself is small, a handful of supermarkets and restaurants rather than resort infrastructure. Most visitors base themselves in Caleta de Famara directly, a short walk from the beach and the school.
How warm is the water, and what should you pack?
Sea temperature at Caleta de Famara runs from around 18°C in late winter and spring up to about 23°C in September and October, based on long-term monthly averages. That is cool enough that most surfers wear a wetsuit year-round, even on the warmest days.
Pack a thinner wetsuit for the warm stretch from August to November and a fuller one for December through May. Calima's own FAQ adds a land-side note: evenings and nights get cool from November to mid-July, so bring a jacket for after your session. Pack sun protection and earplugs too if your ears are sensitive to cold water.
Calima's FAQ specifically flags sun protection as worth packing properly, not an afterthought. Bring face sunblock, zinc cream for sensitive areas, sunglasses and a cap, on top of the usual board shorts or swimsuit you wear under a wetsuit. The school rents wetsuits in every size if you would rather not fly with your own, and its gear is included in every lesson.
Is Famara crowded, and when should you go to avoid it?
Famara gets busiest in the middle of the day and in late afternoon. A travel guide to the area rates crowds as medium then, partly down to visitors arriving for the sunset light over the cliffs. Winter mornings are rated as low-crowd and are specifically called out as the better time to surf.
That pattern lines up with the lesson schedule too. Calima's course days start around 10:00. An early, self-guided warm-up session before your lesson, or a dawn walk-check of the beach, lets you see the peaks with fewer people in the water. That works best outside the main course hours.
The crowd pattern also tracks the season. Famara's own village gets busiest with summer holidaymakers, on top of the flatter summer swell. The quieter September-to-February surf season brings fewer non-surfing visitors, as well as better waves. Booking a lesson a few days ahead still matters in peak season, since Calima's groups are kept small on purpose.
Which months suit beginners, and which suit advanced surfers?
Beginners can surf at Famara in any month. Calima keeps lessons in the first two kilometres of beach next to the village, where the waves stay small and manageable regardless of season. Advanced surfers get the most out of the October-to-January stretch, when the outer peaks like El Muelle carry real size.
If you are travelling specifically to surf beyond the beginner zone, aim for the peak window and check the forecast once you land. The exact swell on any given day still decides which peak is working. See our Caleta de Famara surfing guide for the full breakdown by level. Improving surfers sit between the two. The sandbank peaks closer to the village give room to practise turns most of the year. Calima's instructors still recommend checking in before paddling further toward the bigger, more exposed peaks, especially around high tide.
What if the swell is small or the wind is wrong on the day?
Famara still has small, forgiving white-water waves close to the village on most days. That is exactly what Calima's beginner lessons use. A flat-looking day for an experienced surfer can still be a good lesson day for someone starting out. The school's instructors adjust the lesson location along the beach to whatever is working that morning.
If you came for bigger waves and the swell is not cooperating, Lanzarote has other breaks that work on different swell directions. Orzola on the northern tip suits a straight north swell, and Arrieta on the east coast suits a north-easterly. See where to surf in Lanzarote for the full list, including the more technical reef spots at La Santa and El Quemao.
How do surf lessons change across the season?
The lesson format at Calima Surf School does not change by season: small groups, two-hour or four-hour course days, the same beginner stretch of beach. What changes is which part of Famara the instructor picks for that day's conditions, and how busy the beach is around you.
For the exact course lengths, group sizes and prices, from €50 per person for a 2-hour group lesson, see learning to surf in Famara. Booking on kitesurfing.me works the same way whatever month you pick. You send a request, the school confirms, and you pay Calima directly.
What is the best month to surf in Caleta de Famara?
Calima Surf School's own best-surf window runs September to the end of February, with the sea still warm from August to November. An independent guide narrows the most exciting stretch for advanced surfers to roughly October through January.
Is Famara surfable in summer?
Yes for beginners. The inshore waves near the village stay small and workable. surf-forecast.com's general profile for Famara notes that summer tends to run flat, though, for anyone chasing bigger, more powerful waves further along the beach.
How cold is the water in Famara?
Sea temperature runs from around 18°C in late winter and spring to about 23°C in September and October, based on long-term monthly averages for Caleta de Famara. Most surfers wear a wetsuit year-round, thinner from August to November.
When is Famara least crowded for surfing?
Winter mornings, according to a travel guide to the area, which rates crowds as low then and specifically recommends that time for surfing. Late afternoon gets busier as visitors arrive for the sunset light over the cliffs, and the village itself gets busiest with summer holidaymakers.
Can beginners surf in Famara outside the main season?
Yes. Calima Surf School teaches beginners in the first two kilometres of beach next to the village every day of the year. Those inshore waves stay small and manageable regardless of the wider swell season.
Do you need a car to surf in Caleta de Famara?
Not strictly, since the beach, the schools and the village are all within walking distance of each other, but a car helps. The public bus from the airport needs a change in Arrecife. A car also lets you chase a better swell direction at other Lanzarote breaks on days Famara is not working.
