Month guide · April

Surfing in April

Long evenings, spring swell and the Easter holidays

April is when the coast starts to come back to life. Beach cafés reopen, surf schools restart their lessons, and the evenings stretch past nine o'clock in Brittany. The swell is less violent than in winter but still reliable, and many days bring the medium, well-spaced waves that suit most surfers best. In Cornwall, Devon, Wales and the west of Ireland, spring is one of the best seasons of the year.

It is also holiday season: Easter and the French spring school holidays fill the most popular towns for a few weeks. Head for the long beaches of Asturias and Cantabria, the quieter corners of Brittany or Ireland's Clare coast, and you will still find plenty of space. For warmer water, the Algarve's west coast and the Canaries are both in good shape.

At a glance

🌡️ Water: 5 °C Lofoten – 19 °C Canaries
The sea is only just starting to warm: about 5 °C in Lofoten, 6 °C at Skagen, 7.5 °C in Orkney, 10 °C at Galway and 11 °C off the Isles of Scilly. It is about 13 °C at Biarritz, 16 °C at Lisbon, 16.5 °C in the Azores and 19 °C around Gran Canaria.
🧥 Wetsuit: 4/3 mm south, 5/4 mm north
A 4/3 mm with boots is fine in the Basque Country, Spain and Portugal; Brittany, the Channel, Britain and Ireland still call for a 5/4 mm, at least early in the month, and Scandinavia a 6/5 mm. A 3/2 mm is enough in the Canaries.
🌊 Swell: Medium W–NW spring swells
Spring keeps a steady supply of Atlantic swell with fewer big storms. Regional guides list March to May as prime months for intermediates in south-west France, and The Surf Atlas calls spring La Torche's best season. The same medium swells light up the beaches of Cornwall, Devon, Wales and Ireland, and the Canaries still get the tail of their winter season.
🌬️ Wind: Lighter, sea breezes appear
Wind settles down compared with winter, but on sunny days a sea breeze can build in the afternoon. Mornings and evenings are often the cleanest.
☀️ Air: Highs 5–23 °C
Average highs are about 5 °C in Lofoten, 10 °C in Orkney, 13 °C in Galway, 17 °C in Biarritz, 20 °C in Lisbon and 23 °C in Gran Canaria.
👥 Crowds: Busy over the spring holidays
French spring holidays run 3–19 April (zone C), 10–26 April (zone A) and 17 April–3 May (zone B) in 2027, so French surf towns are busy for most of the month. The Asturian tourism office advises booking ahead for Easter week, and the best-known surf towns elsewhere fill up over Easter too.
🌅 Daylight: ~13–14 h · longer up north
From April the north has the longer days. Mid-month the sun sets around 20:25 in both Thurso and Las Palmas, 20:50 in Biarritz and 21:10 in Brest, but Thurso gets more than 14 hours of daylight against under 13 in the Canaries. Lofoten already has over 15 hours.

Where to go

Gipuzkoa

Zarautz, the longest beach in Gipuzkoa, picks up nearly every swell and has hosted world-championship contest dates in spring, according to Basque tourism.

Asturias

The regional tourism office recommends spring for good conditions and few visitors outside Easter. Salinas, Xagó and Tapia cover every level.

Finistère Sud

La Torche's best season, with spring south-westerly groundswells and fewer people than in summer.

Gironde

Lacanau and the long beaches of the Médoc reopen for the season, with easier waves than in winter.

Cornwall

Spring is one of the best seasons on the north coast: Fistral, Watergate and the Newquay beaches pick up Atlantic swell with fewer people than in summer.

Devon and the south coast

Croyde, Saunton and Woolacombe in North Devon face straight into spring's west swells. Croyde is powerful and busy; the long beaches either side are easier.

Lisbon coast

Ericeira's reefs and the beaches between Sintra and Caparica give waves for every level, with the water at about 16 °C.

Algarve

The west-coast beaches of the Costa Vicentina, like Arrifana and Amado, start their best months, with surf schools in every bay.

Ireland West

Lahinch and the Clare coast have long spring evenings and steady west swells. The surf town is busy; the beaches either side are not.

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

The tail of the winter season, with steady north swells, water around 18.5 °C and Famara's long beach for every level.

The 21 best spots in April

  1. Zarautz

    Gipuzkoa · Beginner · Beach break · 2 live cams

    Nearly three kilometres of open sand that picks up almost every swell, the home of the Basque surf-school scene and a spring contest venue. Room for everyone and a peak for every level.

  2. Plomeur – La Torche

    Plomeur · Finistère Sud · Intermediate · Beach break

    Spring is La Torche's best season according to The Surf Atlas, with south-westerly groundswells. Easterly winds at mid to high tide on the push are ideal.

  3. Newquay – Fistral

    Newquay · Cornwall · Intermediate · Beach break

    Spring is one of Fistral's best seasons, with fast, hollow peaks at North Fistral on a west to south-west swell and an easterly wind. Crowded all year; South Fistral is easier and partly sheltered from south-westerlies.

  4. Ericeira – Ribeira d'Ilhas

    Ericeira · Lisbon coast · Intermediate · Point break · live cam

    Ericeira's long right point works on most swells, so it almost always has something to ride. Spring's north-west swells and an east wind give rides of a few hundred metres over flat rock; crowded, especially at weekends.

  5. Guidel – Plage du Loch

    Guidel · Morbihan · Intermediate · Beach break · live cam

    The most reliable beach around Lorient picks up west and south-west swell on most days of the year and holds up to about 2.5 m. Intermediate and up.

  6. Lacanau – Plage Centrale

    Lacanau · Gironde · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    Jetties keep the sandbanks at Lacanau's main beach fairly stable, giving A-frame peaks. An easy, central base for a spring trip, with schools reopening.

  7. Arrifana – beach

    Aljezur · Algarve · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    One of Portugal's best-known beginner bays, cliff-backed and sheltered from the north wind, and April starts its best months. Peaks at either end of the bay suit learners and improvers; it is full of surf schools.

  8. Croyde

    Devon and the south coast · Intermediate · Beach break

    North Devon's best-known spot gives powerful, hollow beach-break waves at low tide on a west to west-south-west swell. Spring is one of its best seasons; very crowded at weekends.

  9. Seignosse – Le Penon

    Seignosse · Landes · Intermediate · Beach break · 2 live cams

    Powerful peaks either side of the old jetty, still quiet before the summer. Intermediates at low to mid tide with an east wind.

  10. Lahinch Beach

    Lahinch · Ireland West · Beginner · Beach break

    The surf town of County Clare, with sandbanks for every level and schools, shops and cafés behind the beach. Spring's west swells with an east wind on a rising tide suit it; always busy, but friendly.

  11. Tapia de Casariego

    Asturias · Intermediate · Beach break · 2 live cams

    Western Asturias' surf town has hosted an Easter surf contest since the early 1970s. A quality left off the reef at low to mid tide; intermediate.

  12. Freshwater West

    Castlemartin · Wales · Intermediate · Beach break

    Wales' most powerful and reliable beach, a long, wild stretch of sand with peaks all along and reefs at the ends. A westerly swell and an easterly wind work at any tide; it gets crowded when it is on, but spreads out.

  13. Playa de Famara

    Caleta de Famara · Lanzarote and Fuerteventura · Beginner · Beach break

    Lanzarote's long surf beach under the cliffs has room for learners and stronger surfers alike, and the water is about 18.5 °C. Go early, before the wind gets up.

  14. Anglet – Les Sables d'Or

    Anglet · Pays Basque · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    Hollow, fun peaks between groynes that work at all tides and suit every level. A surf school on the beach and plenty of cafés along the promenade.

  15. Santa Bárbara

    Ribeira Grande · Azores · Intermediate · Beach break

    São Miguel's main surf beach works at any tide on north to north-west swells, with several black-sand peaks to choose from. A mild spring escape, with the water around 16.5 °C.

  16. Thurso East

    Thurso · Scotland · Advanced · Reef break

    The north of Scotland still gets solid groundswell in April, and by mid-month the evenings stay light until about 20:30. Thurso East's long right wants a south-easterly and a rising mid tide; advanced surfers.

  17. Xagó

    Xagó (Gozón) · Asturias · Beginner · Beach break · 2 live cams

    One of the most consistent spots in Asturias, working at every tide with peaks along its whole length. Surf schools use it from spring onwards.

  18. Praia do Amado

    Carrapateira · Algarve · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    A wide beach in a green valley on the Costa Vicentina that catches lots of swell and works on all tides. Peaks can be fast even when small; a favourite of surf schools, and big enough to stay relaxed.

  19. Somo

    Ribamontán al Mar · Cantabria · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    One of the cradles of Spanish surfing, with waves on about 150 days a year and forgiving peaks for learning. Plenty of schools and camps.

  20. Unstad

    Vestvågøy (Lofoten) · Norway · Intermediate · Point break

    Lofoten in April has long days, and Unstad still gets west-north-west swells on its left point and right reef. The water is about 5 °C; the line-up is small and friendly if you respect the locals.

  21. Ferrol – Doniños

    Ferrol · Galicia Norte · Beginner · Beach break

    Two kilometres of open, consistent sand in front of a lagoon near Ferrol. Galician tourism names spring and summer as its best seasons.

Tips from the line-up

  1. Book early if your trip falls in Easter week or the French spring holidays; surf camps and campsites fill up.
  2. Use the long evenings. The sea breeze often drops late in the day, leaving clean waves until sunset.
  3. The water is colder than the air suggests. Keep the boots and a thicker suit for Brittany, Britain and Ireland.
  4. Spring is a great time for a lesson block: schools are open, waves are steady and the line-ups are calmer than in summer.
  5. Check whether lifeguards are on duty: many beaches only start full supervision in early summer.
  6. Head north for the long evenings: by mid-April Ireland and Scotland already have more daylight than the Canaries.

Sources