Comments...

comment by Anonymous, 2008-10-20 17:09:35

petes view
i lived in famara for 6 years and its the same rules as most surf breaks realy,better in the winter.if your lucky enough to get a windless day you really are in for a treat if not head to san juan or even better la santa but dont try and surf the left known as the slab as the locals will go mental,however the right is a great wave and your unlikely to get any hastle there then you can head back to el chiriguito for a nice bottelin,ramons probally does the best food in the village and the best deals for accomadationwill be from pedro at the surf shop or otilla from the little supermarket,have fun,i wish i still lived there....one day i will return...geordie pete

comment by Anonymous, 2007-08-03 18:01:20

haha cheers for the info boyo...i enjoyed that little read!

comment by Bodi Dudi, 2007-05-10 15:26:51

Surf? Not as we know it
Never been one for posting on internet forums, generally due to each comment usually culminating in an online fist fight. However, fear not, i've just returned from Famara and i feel compelled, yep thats right compelled, to add my perspective. Where to begin? having dedicated too much of my time to the cold dark waters of the gower peninsula and touring the coastal roads off the north sea wishing i was 6 inches tall to surf the ankle snapping breaks, i decided i needed a break (the holiday kind as well as the water kind). the general criteria of said 'break' being: somewhere warm...where a wetsuit would be obselete, a clean 3ft glassy break. not too much to ask really is it? for reasons still unknown to myself, i concluded that the canaries were the destination and famara the break! the thought of the inital struggle through the teams of chavvie family holiday makers at the airport, all waiting for there thomas cook flights to a land of english football pubs and endless rowdy drunkenss in foreign sunshine....made me cringe! somehow, the feeling manage to subside as i sat aboard a plane with only 11 people on board....how cool is that?? happy days, this isnt going too bad! anyways, arrived at my famara beach house/apartment which was freakin awesome by the way! right on the beach....hence beach house i guess. Famara is a fantastic little place. totally out the way of everything, really chilled out, couple of cool bars, loads of locals, no holiday makers (woohoo!)....really, the whole place kinda epitomises the very essence of a surfers village/town. OK, thats the place....generally awesome! ok, now the beach....Playa de Famara is, i guess, about 2.5-3km long. at the southern/south eastern end you have Famara the town and at the far side you have the monsterous cliffs of Caleta de Famara. Town side, there is a small rocky reef and then for the rest of the beach, its generally all sand. While i was there(Apr/May) there was surf everyday....surfable? will come onto that in a minute. one thing you definately need to know about playa de famara is the amount of wind this place gets and the lack of shelter from it. for about 6 days solid it was blowing a strong consistent 30km wind (give or take 10km) there was surf....but not as we know it! the volume of kite surfers probably pays testament to what sort of beach this place is. the beach is a massive swell magnet and picks up massive volumes of water....unfortunatley there doesnt appear to be much in the way for it to break. the sandbars are really fickel! so...with a strong wind (usually onshore) + crap sand bars = 'A freakin Mess'!! there is loads and loads of white water...which i hasten to add is usually taken up with the abundance of aspiring surfers from the schools and camps trying their hardest to stand on a board for at least a second. with that said tho, on one (yes one) day...we managed to have a slight breeze (still southerly) which produced okay waves i guess...surfable anyway. pumping a solid 4 ft and out back prob 6ft. generally, there are a lot of variables this beach needs to be working properly. if your in the water in any other condition....it just gets frustrating...rides of about 4-5 seconds. Famara is fickel! it is perfect i guess for kite surfers. most people generally head down to the cliff side of the beach. i found that just in front of the old shipwreck and to the left...it was generating (albeit smaller) cleaner waves and of course, less crowded. with regards to sharks....the area around the shipwreck has turned into a breeding ground for hammerheads. i saw two from the beach...but never when i was in the water. there has never been a recorded shark attack in the canaries. i felt safe enough anyways. if you go a little down the coast to san juan, the wave is wicked....probably one of the most exciting i have ridden. can get pretty big and heavy...was about 6ft when i was surfing...a little messy, but the left is awesome. if you like steep take offs and fast exits, definately try it out. watched a local one evening surf it all to him self. ah the locals....i never experinced any probs with the locals....however, the canaries in general, do have a reputation for thinking they are the only place in the world that gets travelling surfers...surf etiquette at the end of the day. everyone just chill out and remember what surfing is about! met some pretty cool people while out there and as i said...did not experience any animoisty. wow, how long have i been typing for??? well, if anyone is still reading...for apr/may, dont expect rolling waves, perfect line ups and clean waves at famara. theres loads to do if the surf isnt working...climbing the cliffs was pretty cool and paragliding. i dont think i will go back to lanzarote...if your lookin for a cheaper foreign surf break i would recommend portugal or spain (france speaks for itself). peurto rico is the next stop for me. hope this has been at least a little helpful....anyone wants anymore info give me a call.
Peace Out
p.s. for the english girl at lanzarote airport....yes the amy winehouse cd you wanted to buy is in english you crowe!

comment by Anonymous, 2007-04-08 18:26:40

the rock
the rocks you mention are used by some top surfers here doing towin surfing. you need jet skis or boats to get there and is for tru pros only

comment by Anonymous, 2006-11-02 18:57:26

Las Bakos
Anyone whos been here has probably seen Las Bakos in the distance breaking at ridiculous size, anyone know anything about it?

comment by albertruss@yahoo.com, 2005-11-24 16:24:39

strong currents
Lately, I avoid surfing at Famara. The wind is usually strong onshore, the wave closes out, lots of white water + whenever it is over 3-4 feet, strong currents are a rule. I am a fairly experienced seasonal bodysurfer, but even with my fins on, I had to work hard sometimes to get ashore, once past the impact zone. The sideshore currents are also very strong on windy days, making your position shift quickly in the lineup. For more experienced surfers, any reef spot is far better than closed-out Famara. I have to admit though that the place is very picturesque.

comment by anonymous, 2005-11-14 17:21:22

winds, winds, winds
I was at Famara and it had been closed out for more than two weeks and when I left the forecasts showed similar conditions for next week.

So before you go check out weahter conditions and make sure that the swell isn't to high and that the wind isn't to strong if you don't want to surf white wash...

comment by anonymous, 2005-10-14 14:46:20

swe surfing
i surfed this break and it is good for anything and locals are not a problem

comment by anonymous, 2005-07-08 15:15:06

impossible to reach.
Im at lanzarote atm, famara is almost ipossible to reach without car, at least from the south.

comment by anonymous, 2005-06-17 13:37:32

asalamu aleikum
i am planning on travelling to famara june/july, and i wonder if the surf is good enough during that time to have fun. 1-2m is fine for me to practice. so, if someone could tell me a little bit about the conditions, I would be happy?