Los Caños de Meca

Barbate · Cádiz and Huelva · Spain

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Los Caños de Meca (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/canos-de-meca.

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The reef in front of the village of Los Caños de Meca, east of Cabo de Trafalgar, gives one of the best lefts in the area. In winter the waves are short but hollow and powerful, breaking over rock and sand with shallow sections. There is also a shorter right. In spring and summer the swell drops, the east wind (levante) takes over and the kitesurfers arrive.

Level
Advanced
Break
Reef break, reef
Waves
Lefts
Crowd
Crowded
Season
winter
Boards
A shortboard.

When it works

✓ A south-west swell of 1–1.5 m or more at low to mid tide, with a north to north-east wind.

When it doesn't

✕ High tide and onshore southerly winds; summer is usually flat.

Watch out for

  • reef
  • rocks
  • localism
  • crowds

Best months

November, December, January, February, March

Local tips

When El Palmar gets a good size, Los Caños starts to work. Wear booties for the rocks and sea urchins, and wait your turn: the local crew is strong.

Getting there

Park in the village of Los Caños de Meca and walk down to the beach in front of the reef.

Travel notes

How often it works
Quite reliable in winter when a solid south-west groundswell runs. The cape shelters it from westerly wind.
Crowd and vibe
Often crowded. Surfmarket notes a strong local community, fine if you are respectful; older wannasurf comments describe aggressive locals.
Camping and vans
Camping Camaleón is about 500 m from the beach in the pine woods of the Breña natural park; Camping Caños de Meca is about 2 km from the beaches. Nearest campsite about 0.5 km away.
Facilities
Bars, restaurants and surf schools in the village, where you can rent boards and wetsuits.
Water quality
The Caños de Meca point was rated excellent in the EU bathing-water assessment (EEA data from Náyade) for the last three seasons. Wannasurf mentions sea urchins.

Ideal conditions

Swell
SSW–WSW best, S–W works
Size
1.3–2.2 m offshore swell; starts at 1 m, holds to 3 m
Period
9 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore N–ENE; handles onshore up to 10 km/h
Tide
low, mid best, avoid high
Faces
SSW (195°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

In the guides

Nearby spots

All spots in Cádiz and Huelva · All spots

Sources