Staying Home Sucks, home

Cambutal

Surf spot · Panama

Is it worth the trip?

67Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 12 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 60 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 shollow
Energy
510kJ
Wind
N 2 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 76 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 shollow
Energy
363kJ
Wind
WNW 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 78 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 shollow
Energy
444kJ
Wind
NE 1 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 64 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 shollow
Energy
377kJ
Wind
SSW 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 55 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 shollow
Energy
213kJ
Wind
SW 6 kn
Temp
29°C

Sun 8 · 36 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
92kJ
Wind
W 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 69 out of 100

Swell
3 ft13 shollow
Energy
260kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 272, good
  2. Tue 360, good
  3. Wed 476, good
  4. Thu 578, good
  5. Fri 664, good
  6. Sat 755, fair
  7. Sun 836, too small
  8. Mon 969, good
  9. Tue 1082, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Apr, Dec6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Cambutal, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov72, good4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)462kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots27°C
Tue 3Nov60, good5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.)510kJwind from the north, 2 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 4Nov76, good4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)363kJwind from the west-north-west, 2 knots27°C
Thu 5Nov78, good4 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.)444kJwind from the north-east, 1 knot28°C
Fri 6Nov64, good4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)377kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots27°C
Sat 7Nov55, fair4 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.)213kJwind from the south-west, 6 knots29°C
Sun 8Nov36, too small3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the west, 3 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov69, good3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)260kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov82, good3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)264kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore29°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

  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:50 −1.1 mHigh 08:59 +1.1 mLow 15:19 −1.2 mHigh 21:47 +1.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:05 −1.0 mHigh 10:16 +1.0 mLow 16:32 −1.1 mHigh 23:00 +1.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:22 −1.0 mHigh 11:33 +1.0 mLow 17:44 −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.

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.

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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.

More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Cambutal

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

The spot faces S (173°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (353°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 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 27°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April and December, with about 6 good days in 7; in October, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cambutal, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 28°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$764–US$1,450 each

about US$764–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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to PTY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$301–US$630
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$74–US$127
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$147–US$248
Food7 days eating outabout US$167–US$315
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$127
Totalabout US$764–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: 2 towns

Closest

Cambutal

about 5 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$54/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Cambutal · Booking.com

About Cambutal 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 13h 40m

About 13h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → PTY, direct, then 4h 20m by road

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