Staying Home Sucks, home
Carrera a casa el mar frente a Barra de Santiago - panoramio
Barra de Santiago, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: Enrique Canelo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Barra de Santiago

Surf spot · El Salvador

Is it worth the trip?

73Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 76 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
516kJ
Wind
SSW 2 kn
Temp
30°C

Tue 3 · 79 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
464kJ
Wind
SE 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Wed 4 · 79 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
388kJ
Wind
ESE 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Thu 5 · 78 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
352kJ
Wind
SE 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Fri 6 · 78 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
286kJ
Wind
SSE 1 kn
Temp
29°C

Sat 7 · 54 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
138kJ
Wind
SSE 3 kn
Temp
29°C

Sun 8 · 34 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
92kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
29°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 168, good
  2. Mon 276, good
  3. Tue 379, good
  4. Wed 479, good
  5. Thu 578, good
  6. Fri 678, good
  7. Sat 754, fair
  8. Sun 834, too small
  9. Mon 931, too small
  10. Tue 1041, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 30 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Barra de Santiago, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov68, good5 ft13 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)703kJwind from the east, 1 knot31°C
Mon 2Nov76, good4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)516kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots30°C
Tue 3Nov79, good4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)464kJwind from the south-east, 2 knots29°C
Wed 4Nov79, good4 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)388kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots29°C
Thu 5Nov78, good4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)352kJwind from the south-east, 2 knots29°C
Fri 6Nov78, good3 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)286kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot29°C
Sat 7Nov54, fair3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)138kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots29°C
Sun 8Nov34, too small2 ft13 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots29°C
Mon 9Nov31, too small2 ft14 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)108kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov41, too small2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)145kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots30°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 00:36 −0.8 mHigh 06:53 +0.9 mLow 13:15 −0.9 mHigh 19:28 +0.8 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 01:38 −0.8 mHigh 07:53 +0.8 mLow 14:13 −0.8 mHigh 20:31 +0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:47 −0.7 mHigh 09:00 +0.7 mLow 15:17 −0.7 mHigh 21:39 +0.8 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.

Map

the spot and its town

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

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 Barra de Santiago

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SW (208°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (28°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 76). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Barra de Santiago, 1 km away (about 5 min by car).

Water about 30°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$1,320 each

about US$710–US$1,320 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to GUA, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$261–US$549
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$74–US$121
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$141–US$234
Food7 days eating outabout US$161–US$295
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$121
Totalabout US$710–US$1,320

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Barra de Santiago

Closest

Barra de Santiago

2 min by car · 4 places to stay

about US$54/nightcountry average

See 4 places to stay in Barra de Santiago · Booking.com

About Barra de Santiago its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$54 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 10h 25m

About 10h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → GUA, direct, then 2h 15m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.