Cau-Cau
Surf spot · Chile
Is it worth the trip?
23Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 5 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 409kJ
- Wind
- WNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 607kJ
- Wind
- SW 13 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 426kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 260kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 419kJ
- Wind
- SW 21 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 966kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 122kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 223, too small
- Tue 310, poor
- Wed 434, poor
- Thu 537, poor
- Fri 66, poor
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 820, too small
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 1052, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–14 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 881kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 0 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 409kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 10, poor | 5 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 607kJ | wind from the south-west, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 34, poor | 5 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 426kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 37, poor | 5 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 260kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 6, poor | 5 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 419kJ | wind from the south-west, 21 knots | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 966kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 122kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft17 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 127kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 52, fair | 5 ft12 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 818kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 18°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 03:30 +0.7 mLow 10:42 −0.5 mHigh 16:38 +0.1 mLow 21:54 −0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:43 +0.6 mLow 11:53 −0.5 mHigh 18:03 +0.2 mLow 23:25 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:00 +0.6 mLow 12:57 −0.5 mHigh 19:14 +0.3 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
Cau-Cau 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 Claron 1.5 km away
- ventana 4.5 km away
- Punta Liles 7.1 km away
- Maitencillo 8.5 km away
- Puntilla Sanfuentes 9.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cau-Cau
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (320°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (140°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ventanas, 4.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,090–US$2,090 each
about US$1,090–US$2,090 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 MDW to SCL, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$569–US$1,180 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$194–US$322 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$174–US$328 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$127 |
| Total | about US$1,090–US$2,090 |
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
7 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Ventanas its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Quintero on Booking.com
15 min by car · 63 places to stay
- Beds in Maitencillo on Booking.com
17 min by car · 51 places to stay
About US$74 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 40m
About 20h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SCL, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 2h by road
Flights MDW → SCL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.