7 olas
Surf spot · Colombia
Is it worth the trip?
4Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (1 ft swell at 5 s), 4 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft14 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft13 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- SW 9 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 18, too small
- Mon 21, too small
- Tue 33, too small
- Wed 44, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 81, too small
- Mon 97, too small
- Tue 109, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–14 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Jun–Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 8, too small | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 13 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft14 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft13 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 8 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft5 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 12 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft4 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 28°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 05:51 +0.0 mLow 09:33 −0.0 mHigh 16:54 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:23 −0.1 mHigh 06:32 +0.1 mLow 10:57 −0.0 mHigh 17:46 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 00:53 −0.1 mHigh 07:13 +0.1 mLow 12:18 −0.0 mHigh 18:36 +0.2 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
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 Jun–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
7 olas on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About 7 olas
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (32°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (212°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 4). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 26°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in October, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santa Marta.
Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
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$710–US$1,330 each
about US$710–US$1,330 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
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 SMR, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$295–US$616 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$107 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$127–US$208 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$141–US$255 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$710–US$1,330 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
25 min by car · 149 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Santa Marta its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mendihuaca on Booking.com
47 min by car · 17 places to stay
Nearest beds: Santa Marta, 14 km (about 25 min by car)
About US$47 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 13h 50m
About 13h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SMR, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → SMR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.