La arena, Spain
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Getxo, 9 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Bilbao Airport (BIO), 18 km.
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About La arena
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces N (342°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (162°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 41). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 23°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 3 good days in 7; in July and August, about 1. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Getxo, 9 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Bilbao Airport (BIO), 18 km.
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
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From Chicago: about 17 h 15 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Bilbao Airport (BIO), changing at Dublin Airport (DUB). About 6 flights a week that month.
See flights ORD → BIO · Skyscanner from about £410 returnAdGetting there. 40 min from the airport to La arena.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Getxo, 9 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Bilbao Airport (BIO), 18 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in La arena · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in La arena · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
La arena on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 40, fair | 4 ft5 smushy | 61kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 16, too small | 2 ft5 smushy | 12kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 49, good | 3 ft12 scrumbling | 199kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 9, poor | 6 ft8 smushy | 320kJ | wind from the west, 11 knots | 14°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 0, too big | 7 ft9 ssoft | 642kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 0, too big | 12 ft10 smushy | 2,730kJ | wind from the west, 14 knots | 15°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 0, too big | 7 ft9 ssoft | 691kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 0, too big | 7 ft9 ssoft | 722kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 0, too big | 8 ft10 ssoft | 1,056kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 0, too big | 6 ft9 ssoft | 470kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 23°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 intermediate surfers. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Fly ORD to BIO, changing at DUB, then 40 min by road. About 17h 15 door to door
- Tue 20 OctSurf La arena
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 12 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
- Wed 21 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 26 of 80.
- Thu 22 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
- Fri 23 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
- Sat 24 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Fly ORD to BIO, changing at DUB, then 40 min by road. About 17h 15 door to door
Rough cost
About £725–£1,420 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.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to BIO, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | £410–£850 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | £30–£50 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £175–£330 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £75–£125 |
| Total | £725–£1,420 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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