Orrua

Tucked beside the harbour wall, Orrua is a short, sand-bottom beachbreak that delivers quick, churning lefts and rights. The wave quality rarely rises above mediocre, with a tendency to pitch into semi-closeout walls that offer little room for extended rides. Best suited for beginners looking to log a few short scrambles or those willing to work for a handful of corners on a peaky, inconsistent day.

Best Surf Season (October - March)

From October through March, Orrua sits in the heart of northern Spain's most active surf window. The North Atlantic storm track is loaded with extratropical cyclones, and average combined swell heights run between 1.6m and 2.1m (5-7ft) with periods of 11-13s. The wave rose is dominated by NW and WNW energy, with a solid NNW component mixed in - exactly the directions that light up this north-facing beach. Offshore winds also become more regular, with 41-46 percent of the observations blowing from the southern quadrant. When the NAO turns negative and the storm track pushes south, Orrua receives powerful, long-period groundswell under clean offshore breezes. That is the recipe for the best surf of the year.