Is it worth the trip?
25Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (4 ft swell at 12 s), onshore wind, 11 kn (20 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 527kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 340kJ
- Wind
- SSE 12 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 431kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 352kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 227kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 164kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 374kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 128, too small
- Mon 230, too small
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 427, too small
- Thu 526, too small
- Fri 615, too small
- Sat 718, too small
- Sun 828, too small
- Mon 925, too small
- Tue 1012, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Chicama does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 485kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 527kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 4 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 340kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 431kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 352kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 164kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 374kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 25, too small | 4 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 348kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 172kJ | wind from the south, 11 knots | 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 03:17 −0.2 mHigh 08:32 +0.2 mLow 14:54 −0.5 mHigh 22:00 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:46 −0.2 mHigh 10:04 +0.1 mLow 16:18 −0.4 mHigh 23:15 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:06 −0.3 mHigh 11:44 +0.2 mLow 17:46 −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
Chicama 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 Chicama
Facing, offshore wind, exposure and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (295°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (115°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 24). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 17°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Puerto Malabrigo, 0.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 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$898–US$1,710 each
about US$898–US$1,710 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 CIX, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$395–US$831 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| 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$898–US$1,710 |
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
1 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Puerto Malabrigo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Puémape on Booking.com
42 min by car · 5 places to stay
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 17h 05m
About 17h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → CIX, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 2h 15m by road
Flights ORD → CIX on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.