Is it worth the trip?
55Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 13 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 528kJ
- Wind
- SE 15 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 425kJ
- Wind
- SE 13 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 490kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 427kJ
- Wind
- SE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 298kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 136kJ
- Wind
- SE 12 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 ssoft
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- SE 14 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 152, fair
- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 465, good
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 659, fair
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 821, too small
- Mon 956, fair
- Tue 1036, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–15 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jan–Apr1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 52, fair | 5 ft13 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 635kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 58, fair | 5 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 528kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 15 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 4 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 425kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 13 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 65, good | 4 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 490kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 4 ft12 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 427kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 298kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 136kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft15 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 14 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 385kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 36, poor | 4 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 254kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 27°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 02:12 −0.5 mHigh 08:02 +0.5 mLow 14:25 −0.7 mHigh 21:08 +0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:29 −0.4 mHigh 09:20 +0.4 mLow 15:39 −0.6 mHigh 22:23 +0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:52 −0.4 mHigh 10:49 +0.4 mLow 17:00 −0.5 mHigh 23:36 +0.6 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 Jan–Apr
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 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
Balconies 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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More surf near here
5 places
- El Golf 8.4 km away
- Baterias 23.6 km away
- Lobitos 24.2 km away
- El Hueco 24.3 km away
- Los muelles 24.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Balconies
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (294°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (114°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 161). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 19°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Talara.
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$831–US$1,590 each
about US$831–US$1,590 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 MDW to TYL, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and LIM, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$382–US$797 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$268 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$181–US$342 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$80–US$134 |
| Total | about US$831–US$1,590 |
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
20 min by car · 42 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Talara its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lobitos on Booking.com
43 min by car · 23 places to stay
Nearest beds: Talara, 12 km (about 20 min by car)
About US$60 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 20h 25m
About 20h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → TYL, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → TYL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.