Costa Ballena
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
12Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 3 ft swell at 7 s, onshore wind, 17 kn (32 km/h)
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 s
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- SE 12 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 79kJ
- Wind
- SSE 17 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 221, too small
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 49, too small
- Thu 59, too small
- Fri 610, too small
- Sat 78, too small
- Sun 812, too small
- Mon 922, poor
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Nov–Feb2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Costa Ballena does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the south-east, 12 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, poor | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 17 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 706kJ | wind from the south, 18 knots | 20°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 02:16 −0.7 mHigh 08:49 +1.0 mLow 15:20 −0.9 mHigh 21:47 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:45 −0.7 mHigh 10:10 +1.0 mLow 16:43 −1.0 mHigh 23:01 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:03 −0.8 mHigh 11:20 +1.1 mLow 17:48 −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.
Best time to go
best Nov–Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 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
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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, its town, photos
Costa Ballena on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Costa Ballena
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More surf near here
5 places
- Las Tres Piedras 2.3 km away
- Calita 2.4 km away
- Las Redes 16.7 km away
- El Buzo 17.6 km away
- La cuchiya 18.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Costa Ballena
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (246°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (66°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.4 km out (1 in 238). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 23°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, November and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Costa Ballena, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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$1,120–US$2,110 each
about US$1,120–US$2,110 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 XRY, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$978 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$107–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$348 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$234–US$442 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$100–US$167 |
| Total | about US$1,120–US$2,110 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Costa Ballena its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Chipiona on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 40 places to stay
- Beds in El Puerto de Santa María on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 50 places to stay
About US$80 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 40m
About 17h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → XRY, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → XRY on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.