Is it worth the trip?
27Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 8 kn gusting 13, cross-offshore, Water: chop
Tue 3 · 46 out of 100
- Wind
- NNW 8 knF3
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Shore
- cross-off
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 23 out of 100
- Wind
- NW 8 knF3
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Shore
- cross-off
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Wind
- NW 6 knF2
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Shore
- offnot safe
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 27 out of 100
- Wind
- WNW 8 knF3
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Shore
- offnot safe
- Water
- flat
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Wind
- NW 7 knF3
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Shore
- cross-off
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Wind
- NW 8 knF3
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Shore
- cross-off
- Water
- flat
- Air
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 27 out of 100
- Wind
- NW 8 knF3
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Shore
- cross-off
- Water
- flat
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for wind, gusts, shore and air. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 2100, good
- Tue 346, fair
- Wed 423, poor
- Thu 50, poor
- Fri 627, poor
- Sat 70, poor
- Sun 829, poor
- Mon 927, poor
- Tue 1097, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Eopen to the E
- Best wind: S or Nalong the shore
- Avoid: Wblows out to sea
- Open seato the swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Feb5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know gusts, offshore wind, tides or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Shore | Water | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 100, good | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knotsF4 | 16kn | side | chop | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 46, fair | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knotsF3 | 13kn | cross-off | chop | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 23, poor | wind from the north-west, 8 knotsF3 | 11kn | cross-off | chop | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, poor | wind from the north-west, 6 knotsF2 | 11kn | offnot safe | chop | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 27, poor | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knotsF3 | 13kn | offnot safe | flat | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, poor | wind from the north-west, 7 knotsF3 | 11kn | cross-off | chop | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, poor | wind from the north-west, 8 knotsF3 | 13kn | cross-off | flat | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 27, poor | wind from the north-west, 8 knotsF3 | 13kn | cross-off | flat | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 97, good | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knotsF4 | 15kn | side-on | chop | 28°C |
Wind is the day's best reading, mean and gusts, in knots; the arrow points where it blows to. Shore "off" blows out to sea. More
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best in Feb
Good sailing days in a typical week, each month, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast. Reanalysis wind misses some local thermal winds, so a spot known for an afternoon breeze may do better than this.
Map
the spot and its town
El Bluff on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Bluff
Known for sailing, by the OpenStreetMap map of the area. The shore faces E, so wind from the W blows out to sea (our estimate from the coastline).
Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
A spot for sailing, as OpenStreetMap maps it, on a shore facing E. Wind from the E blows onshore, wind from the W blows out to sea, and wind from the S or N runs along the shore. It is exposed to the open sea. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For sailing at intermediate level the best month is usually February, with about 5 good days in 7; in September and October, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is El Bluff.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$596–US$1,130 each
about US$596–US$1,130 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$295–US$610 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$94 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$114–US$188 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$127–US$234 |
| Total | about US$596–US$1,130 |
Kit hire is not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: El Bluff
about 5 min by car
about US$40/nightcountry average
About El Bluff its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest town: El Bluff, 1 km. We have not checked places to stay in El Bluff yet. The nearest beds we have counted are in Bluefields, 9 km away (about 15 min by car). Search before you plan on staying there.
About US$40 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 15h 30m
About 15h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 6h 30m by road
Flights ORD → SJO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.