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Jamaica - panoramio (20)
DNA. Photo: Belarmino Ribeiro, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

DNA

Surf spot · Jamaica

Is it worth the trip?

2Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft4 shollow
Energy
2kJ
Wind
SE 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 2 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft6 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
SSE 1 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 2 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft6 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
SSE 2 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 1 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft6 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 2 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 shollow
Energy
1kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 shollow
Energy
1kJ
Wind
E 9 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 1 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft8 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
NE 3 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 22, too small
  2. Tue 33, too small
  3. Wed 42, too small
  4. Thu 52, too small
  5. Fri 61, too small
  6. Sat 72, too small
  7. Sun 83, too small
  8. Mon 91, too small
  9. Tue 102, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Ntakes swell from the N
  • Offshore: Swind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–7 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at DNA, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov2, too small1 ft3 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore29°C
Tue 3Nov3, too small1 ft4 shollow1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots27°C
Wed 4Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot, offshore27°C
Thu 5Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore26°C
Fri 6Nov1, too smallunder 1 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots, offshore27°C
Sat 7Nov2, too small1 ft3 shollow1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the east, 5 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov3, too small1 ft3 shollow1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the east, 9 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov1, too smallunder 1 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots26°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 NovHigh 03:41 +0.1 mLow 09:39 −0.1 mHigh 16:14 +0.2 mLow 22:57 −0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:51 +0.1 mLow 10:50 −0.1 mHigh 17:02 +0.2 mLow 23:38 −0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:50 +0.1 mLow 11:53 −0.1 mHigh 17:44 +0.2 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, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: 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.

Photos of DNA

Jamaica - panoramio (25)
Photo: Belarmino Ribeiro, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About DNA

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

The spot faces N (2°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (182°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 27°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Runaway Bay, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 dive site.

Water about 29°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$824–US$1,510 each

about US$824–US$1,510 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 MDW to MBJ, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$509
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$94–US$154
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$188–US$315
Food7 days eating outabout US$208–US$389
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$824–US$1,510

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

Runaway Bay

about 5 min by car · 21 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 21 places to stay in Runaway Bay · Booking.com

About Runaway Bay its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$67 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 8h 50m

About 8h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MBJ, direct, then 1h 20m by road

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