Surf spot guide · Lanzarote, Spain
World-class lava reef in front of La Santa harbour, a short, hollow left and right that has earned the Pipeline comparison.
El Quemao is a short, freight-train left and right peak that detonates over a shallow lava reef directly in front of the La Santa harbour wall. The left is the main draw, a thick, square-shouldered tube that air-drops into a single intense section before the reef shuts the door. The right is a touch shorter and meaner, closing out Backdoor-style on the sharp inside ledge. A clean W swell holds up the lefts the longest; SW through NW pulses all light it up, ideally with a SE breeze cleaning the faces and a mid to high tide covering the worst of the lava. The wave has been crowned the Atlantic sister of Pipeline and ranks among the most photographed slabs in the Canaries, with a coliseum atmosphere when standup surfers and bodyboarders converge on the better days. Access is a short walk from the harbour parking on the seafront. The lineup is tight, ferociously competitive and the surfing level required is genuinely high.
Thick square-shouldered tube that air-drops over lava directly beneath La Santa harbour.
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The peak is small and the local pack is dense whenever it breaks well, with the best islanders, visiting pros and the bodyboard contingent all chasing the same takeoff. Off-peak days thin out, but anything photogenic draws a wall of surfers and photographers along the harbour wall.
Coliseum slab, heavy pack
Lanzarote
Heavy, square-shouldered reef left at La Santa breaking over The Slab, the most fought-over wave on Lanzarote.
Lanzarote
Long, powerful right-hand point off La Isleta with linking sections, shallow reef and serious crowd pressure.
Lanzarote
Long, powerful left reef on La Isleta with tubular sections that holds serious size when a clean W swell lines up.
+9 MORE →Sit on the shoulder and watch a full set cycle before paddling into the takeoff zone
Time the trip around a clean W or NW swell with a SE offshore for the cleanest faces
Surf the lefts on the push from mid up through high to keep some water on the inside reef
Paddle out from the harbour side rather than cutting across the peak
Bring a step-up and a backup leash, the airdrops and shutdowns punish weak gear
HAZARDS · KNOW BEFORE YOU PADDLE
Park free on the roadside or along the harbour front in La Santa village and walk in along the seafront, the peak breaks directly in front of the harbour. No lifeguard, no public restrooms or showers and no surf school listed at the break, but a surf shop is available in the village.
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