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Surf spot guide · Gran Canaria, Spain
Expert-only left slab over ultra-shallow reef near Telde; a rare, powerful barrel that demands due-east swell and higher tides.
Punta de Salinetas is a heavy left-breaking slab sitting on an ultra-shallow submerged reef on the east coast of Gran Canaria, a few kilometres south of Playa del Hombre in the Telde municipality. On a flat day the spot looks like open ocean with nothing to break on, giving it an air of mystery; but when a direct east or northeast groundswell lines up, the reef produces a fast, hollow left that throws a thick, bowly barrel from the first stroke. The takeoff is critical and leaves almost no margin for error, the wave sucking hard over a bone-dry section of reef that rules out any board with fins. Stormrider explicitly classifies this as a bodyboard-only wave, and that is not a suggestion. Optimal conditions require a due-east swell of 0.9m or more, mid to high tide to cover the worst of the shallows, and a westerly wind to groom the face. Wave length runs 50 to 100 metres when everything clicks. Consistency is very low; the spot needs a specific swell window and goes flat for long stretches.
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Crowds spike sharply when conditions align, given the quality and rarity of the wave. The expert-only character filters out most surfers but local bodyboarders know this spot well and it fills fast on a good day.
Rare expert slab; bodyboard pilgrimage wave
Gran Canaria
Short but perfect right-hand reef barrel near Telde that works for around 40 minutes either side of mid tide on NE-E swell.
Gran Canaria
Telde's famous contest beachbreak with cruisey a-frame peaks and a powerful right barrel at Bunker Point on the southern end.
Gran Canaria
Fast, hollow close-out beachbreak on Gran Canaria's east coast, best suited to bodyboarders and experienced surfers hunting quick barrel
+9 MORE →Only paddle out at mid to high tide to keep the shallowest reef sections covered
Bring a bodyboard or finless craft only, fins will hit the reef on almost every wave
Watch the currents before entering even when the swell is small
Study the spot from the road on a flat day to read the reef shape before your first session
Wait for a direct east or ENE swell rather than NE angles which lose power across the reef
HAZARDS · KNOW BEFORE YOU PADDLE
Roadside parking available near the break. Entry is via a rock jump or wading over the reef; timing entry and exit to the tide is essential. No formal car park, lifeguard, restrooms, surf school or surf shop at the spot itself. Showers are present at the adjacent beach area.
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