San Juan de Nieva — local surf knowledge

The wave

San Juan de Nieva is the eastern end of the same stretch of sand as Salinas, right up against the mouth of the Avilés estuary. As far as the swell report goes they are the same beach: they get identical height, period, direction, wind and tide data. Everything that separates them is how each one responds.

What defines San Juan de Nieva is that less swell reaches it than Salinas, from every direction. That has two consequences, and it is worth keeping both in mind:

When the swell is marginal, here it is even more marginal: the days that give something at Salinas give nothing here.
When a strong swell comes in, here it holds better: it is still surfable when Salinas is already oversized.

It also has a slightly different orientation from the rest of the sands, which is what makes an easterly wind suit it better than a southerly.

Size

Heights are given on the scale of the San Lorenzo page, which is the reference every beach in the area is compared against.

There starts to be something: around 0.7 m, which is the Salinas minimum plus the 0.2 m less that gets in here.
Comfortable minimum for beginners: 0.9 m, with a 10 s period.
With some level: 1.1 to 1.3 m, with periods of 11 to 13 s. That is its good range.
Ceiling: 1.5 m. From there it starts to be too much, though it holds more than Salinas before closing out completely.

Period

Minimum: 8 s, and that minimum goes with the minimum swell.
Full: from 12 s.
For beginners: at 0.9 m and 10 s there is already a relaxed session.

Swell direction

Best: between 286° and 340°, from west-north-west to north-north-west.
A northerly swell: it gets in, but it is no longer its thing: a bit more size is needed for the same result.
A westerly swell (below 286°): it comes in at an angle.
An easterly or southerly swell: the beach faces north, nothing gets in from there.

Wind

Good: from 83° to 164°, that is, from east to south-south-east.
The perfect one: 128°, the south-east. It is a sector turned to the east compared with the one at Salinas, and that is half the difference between the two beaches: an easterly suits San Juan de Nieva better than a southerly.
It holds strong wind well: up to about 20 knots of offshore nothing happens, and above that it gets uncomfortable but it does not wreck the session. It even holds solid gusts of offshore and near cross-shore.
Bad: north-westerlies and northerlies, which come straight in.

Tide

There is a particularity here that sets it apart from almost every other beach in the area: its banks do not usually shift much, so you really do know what it does on each tide.

On a high tide it is an easy wave, good for everyone.
On a low tide it usually has more wall.
At mid tide is when it defines least, and that is why it gives the least.

At the other beaches in the area, with sandbanks that change through the year, the advice is the opposite: go for mid tide, which is the safe bet when you do not know where it is breaking.

How it compares with Salinas

They get the same report, so the comparison is direct:

It asks for more swell to get going: about 0.2 m more than Salinas.
It holds more swell at the top end: when Salinas is oversized, here you can still surf.
Its good wind is turned to the east: Salinas prefers the south-east towards the south, and San Juan de Nieva the east towards the south-east.
Its banks are stable, which those at Salinas are not.

Put another way: on a weak day, Salinas; on a big day or with an easterly wind, San Juan de Nieva.