- window
- Do not forget: in Galicia the permitted days are Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, with the exception of the daily period between Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday and the one running from 1 May to 30 September (Orden 17.09.2009, art. 13.2). On this beach the practical slot is dawn, before the breeze fills in and while the sand is empty.
- tide
- Here the three-and-a-half-metre spring tide really runs the show: at low water a huge sand platform is uncovered and the northern stones sit almost dry, while the flood covers them again and brings the stream that runs parallel to the beach. That longshore current is the one to watch when you get out.
- shelter
- The northern end of A Lanzada, the one with the chapel and the old tower, faces west from the isthmus joining O Grove to the mainland: there is no shelter at all, the whole 190°-265° arc comes straight in and 240° lifts the entire shoreline. Only an easterly or northeasterly land wind flattens the beach enough to consider going in.
- conditions
- Sea bass are worked right at the edge of the foam, between sand tongues and loose stones, and that forces you to go only with very little sea. Half a metre of shore break is enough to fill the water with suspended sand and leave you blind. The good days are flat sea, light wind and, if possible, after a week without storms.
- hazard
- This beach has well-known rip currents and a shore break that tumbles you: if in doubt, do not go in, because getting out on the north side against the undertow is hard work. Stay well clear of the bathing area and of surfers, and keep the buoy in sight at all times. Ons island is a little over four kilometres west and spearfishing there is banned.
- access
- You park in the lay-bys along the isthmus road, level with the chapel, and cross the boardwalk over the dune down to the sand. The least bad entry is the northern corner, using the lull the stones create, and you have to time the sets so the break does not catch you. Swim short: there is no need to go far from the shoreline.
Large W-facing beach; classic sea-bass ground, only with a low swell and light wind.
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