El Paso.

El Paso is Gran Canaria's most serious big-wave venue, breaking over an uneven reef-and-sand bottom along the Guía coastline north of Las Palmas. On a solid NW swell the peak splits into fast, hollow left and right barrel sections that can run for 200 to 500 m when the banks line up correctly. The wave is well-covered and bowly rather than slopey, with a freight-train pace that leaves little room for hesitation once committed. Tow-in crews use the spot when swells push beyond 4 to 5 m, as the sheer size and speed of the sets makes paddle-in increasingly consequential. All tides are considered surfable but the wave's depth profile, with boils and a well-covered reef, means conditions evolve quickly across the cycle. The optimal wind is southerly, which holds the faces clean. Swell window spans W through N, with a true NW delivering the most consistent hollow sections. Water quality is a known concern: underground outfall pipes discharge nearby, so skip the session when the water looks suspect.