El Buey
Surf spot · Chile
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 5 ft swell at 13 s
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 846kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tue 3 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 319kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 951kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 539kJ
- Wind
- WSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 414kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 685kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 841kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 348, fair
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 529, poor
- Fri 642, poor
- Sat 750, fair
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 941, too small
- Tue 1056, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Dec–Feb3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
El Buey does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft12 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 1,031kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft11 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 846kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft16 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 319kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft11 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 951kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 29, poor | 6 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 539kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, poor | 6 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 414kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 50, fair | 5 ft13 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 685kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 1 knot | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 841kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 41, too small | 3 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 191kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 56, fair | 5 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 306kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 22°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 02:27 +0.6 mLow 09:45 −0.4 mHigh 15:30 +0.0 mLow 20:33 −0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:35 +0.6 mLow 10:50 −0.4 mHigh 16:53 +0.1 mLow 22:00 −0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:45 +0.5 mLow 11:48 −0.5 mHigh 18:02 +0.2 mLow 23:27 −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.
Best time to go
best Dec–Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 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 and its town
El Buey 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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More surf near here
5 places
- El Gringo 0.9 km away
- El Brazo 1 km away
- El Gringo 1 km away
- El Toro viejo 1.1 km away
- El Rancio 2.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Buey
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (257°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (77°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 37). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 17°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February and December, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Arica, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.
Water about 18°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$998–US$1,900 each
about US$998–US$1,900 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 TCQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and LIM, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$476–US$992 |
| 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$998–US$1,900 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Arica
2 min by car · 75 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Arica its beds, food and every spot near it
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 21h 05m
About 21h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → TCQ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM), then 1h 10m by road
Flights MDW → TCQ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.