El Arenal, Spain

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Dénia, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ALC (ALC), 85 km.

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About El Arenal

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces NE (60°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (240°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 52). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Dénia, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ALC (ALC), 85 km. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

Water about 23°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 18 h 25 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to ALC, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD). About 7 flights a week that month.
See flights ORD → ALC · Skyscanner from about £430 returnAd
Getting there. 1 h 45 from the airport to El Arenal.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Dénia, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ALC (ALC), 85 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in El Arenal · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in El Arenal · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

El Arenal on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

The score for beginners, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for beginner surfers at El Arenal, each day
Day	Score for beginners	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	49, good	2 ft3 smushy	5kJ	wind from the south-west, 3 knots, offshore	20°C
Mon 19Oct	0, too big	5 ft6 smushy	214kJ	wind from the north-west, 12 knots	20°C
Tue 20Oct	52, good	2 ft5 smushy	10kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots, offshore	24°C
Wed 21Oct	43, fair	2 ft5 smushy	12kJ	wind from the west, 11 knots, offshore	23°C
Thu 22Oct	40, fair	2 ft4 smushy	6kJ	wind from the south-east, 6 knots	22°C
Fri 23Oct	19, too small	1 ft3 smushy	2kJ	wind from the north, 6 knots	21°C
Sat 24Oct	46, fair	2 ft4 smushy	6kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots	20°C
Sun 25Oct	27, poor	1 ft4 smushy	5kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots, offshore	22°C
Mon 26Oct	29, poor	1 ft4 smushy	5kJ	wind from the north, 5 knots	22°C
Tue 27Oct	22, too small	1 ft5 smushy	6kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots	21°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for beginner surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly ORD to ALC, changing at MAD, then 1h 45 by road. About 18h 25 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf El Arenal
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 2 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf El Arenal
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 2 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf El Arenal
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 2 ft at 4 s, wind 6 kn (11 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 21 of 80.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf El Arenal
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 2 ft at 4 s, wind 6 kn (12 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly ORD to ALC, changing at MAD, then 1h 45 by road. About 18h 25 door to door

Rough cost

About £795–£1,545 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to ALC, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£430–£895
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£80–£130
Food	7 days eating out	£175–£330
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£75–£125
Total		£795–£1,545

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

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Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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