Balearics, mainland coasts and Canary ocean departures need different source sets.
Choose a sailing scenario
An island-hopping Balearic trip, an Atlantic-facing mainland leg and a Canary departure are different planning contexts. Choose coastal versus high-seas products and add an arrival assessment; do not convert a tourism season label into a personal weather window.
Season planning versus departure weather
Seasonal reputation helps shortlist a trip, but does not establish a departure window. Before fixing the passage, obtain current sea warnings, an issue valid across the planned legs and route-relevant observations. If the plan spans forecast horizons, schedule new checks rather than extending confidence beyond the data.
What the linked geography means
The links below include national waters, cross-border areas and, where relevant, overseas territories or onward passages. They are discovery links, not territorial boundaries or proof that one national bulletin covers every linked area. Follow each local desk to its own issuer.
Official products by task
- AEMET marine forecasts — Separate coastal forecasts from high-seas products and choose the relevant coastal sector.
Sector names help you locate the issuing product; they are not an automatic route-coverage match. Open the current issue and check boundaries, issue time and validity. This page does not display current warnings; an unavailable product does not mean no hazard.
Waters and sailing options
- Balearic Islands
Separate island coast, inter-island crossing and arrival-side swell.
- Canary Islands
Distinguish a lee-side harbour, the exposed island gap and the onward ocean leg.
- Bay of Biscay
A Biscay window is a whole-passage comparison, including the destination approach.
- Mallorca and Menorca
Compare the exposed channel with the forecast for the intended lee anchorage.
- Ibiza and Formentera
Check sea and swell for the inter-island leg and arrival bay.
- Spanish mainland and Alboran Sea
Track the transition from coastal sectors toward the Gibraltar approaches.
- Galicia and northwest Spain
Check the exposed headlands separately from the sheltered rías.
Departure ports & bases
- Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca: a departure-source desk, not a generic city forecast.
Build your passage brief
Bring your route, leg timings, vessel and crew profile, checked sources and reassessment triggers into the brief. Personal AI analysis and expert review are available to invited closed-test participants; a port page does not extend the calculation service’s coverage.
A Sailing Weather editorial guide to local conditions, practical passage preparation and marine-weather sources. Source and structure review: 27 September 2026. For a specific passage, check current issues, validity and forecast coverage. The skipper retains the final decision and responsibility.
Add a measured-sea layer to the source set
AEMET provides the forecast and warning selection; Puertos del Estado supplies marine measurement and prediction services. Use them for different questions rather than calling both independent forecasts. A buoy record can test the observed wave state at one location, while a gauge or coastal sensor answers another question. Choose by parameter and exposure, not simply the nearest port, and retain timestamp and quality/availability information.
- AEMET coastal and high-seas marine products — Separate coastal and high-seas selection
- Puertos del Estado oceanography / Portus — Buoy, gauge, radar and model services; select representative available station Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
Separate vacation selection from ocean departure
A Balearic island circuit and a Canary ocean departure can use the same vessel profile but require different communications, exposure duration and forecast refresh plans. Compare the real first leg and arrival options, not national seasonal averages. Atlantic mainland approaches and a Gibraltar continuation also add independently checked tide/current and navigation tasks. Open the local desk for the actual next leg and keep these checks visible rather than relying on one country-wide weather score.
- AEMET coastal and high-seas marine products
- WMO–IMO marine warnings and issuer directory — METAREA service selection; website can have delayed or interrupted products
Editorial review of this material: 27 September 2026. This date concerns the page content; check current forecast issue times and validity at the original sources.