Balao
Surf spot · Ecuador
Is it worth the trip?
15Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 1 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 111, too small
- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 413, too small
- Thu 516, too small
- Fri 610, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 814, too small
- Mon 914, too small
- Tue 1016, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–5 ftof swell
- Water 27 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Mar7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft11 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft16 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 29°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 NovLow 01:45 −1.1 mHigh 07:53 +1.2 mLow 14:13 −1.3 mHigh 20:38 +1.2 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:52 −1.0 mHigh 09:01 +1.0 mLow 15:20 −1.1 mHigh 21:49 +1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:08 −0.9 mHigh 10:17 +0.9 mLow 16:34 −1.0 mHigh 23:02 +1.1 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 in Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 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
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Balao on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Balao
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (338°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (158°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 42). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 26°C in December, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best month is usually March, with about 7 good days in 7; in August and September, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Esmeraldas, 3.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 27°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$770–US$1,450 each
about US$770–US$1,450 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 TCO, estimated from distance and season, changing at BOG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$348–US$724 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$134–US$221 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$154–US$281 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$770–US$1,450 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
6 min by car · 35 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Esmeraldas its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Tonsupa on Booking.com
32 min by car · 93 places to stay
- Beds in Atacames on Booking.com
41 min by car · 109 places to stay
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 16h 35m
About 16h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → TCO, changing at El Dorado International Airport (BOG), then 2h 40m by road
Flights ORD → TCO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.