Staying Home Sucks, home
SUNSET BEACH NUQUI CHOCO COLOMBIA 1
Near El Cantil, 2 km away. Photo: leonardo cadavid perdomo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

El Cantil

Surf spot · Colombia

Is it worth the trip?

12Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
84kJ
Wind
SSW 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 10 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
66kJ
Wind
SSE 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 17 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
172kJ
Wind
ENE 1 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft15 shollow
Energy
31kJ
Wind
SE 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft17 shollow
Energy
43kJ
Wind
NNE 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft13 shollow
Energy
62kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft14 shollow
Energy
38kJ
Wind
NNE 4 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 215, too small
  2. Tue 315, too small
  3. Wed 410, too small
  4. Thu 517, too small
  5. Fri 66, too small
  6. Sat 77, too small
  7. Sun 89, too small
  8. Mon 97, too small
  9. Tue 108, too small
  10. Wed 115, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best May–Jun3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at El Cantil, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov15, too small2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.)97kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Tue 3Nov15, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)84kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots27°C
Wed 4Nov10, too small2 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.)66kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots, offshore27°C
Thu 5Nov17, too small3 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)172kJwind from the east-north-east, 1 knot26°C
Fri 6Nov6, too small1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.)31kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots, offshore27°C
Sat 7Nov7, too small1 ft17 shollow2 ft at break (est.)43kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov9, too small1 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)62kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov7, too small1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.)38kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov8, too small1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.)32kJwind from the east, 4 knots28°C
Wed 11Nov5, too small1 ft16 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)25kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots29°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 02:52 −1.0 mHigh 09:00 +1.1 mLow 15:21 −1.2 mHigh 21:48 +1.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:08 −1.0 mHigh 10:17 +1.0 mLow 16:34 −1.1 mHigh 23:01 +1.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:25 −1.0 mHigh 11:35 +1.0 mLow 17:46 −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.

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 El Cantil

Landscape of Nuquí, Chocó, Colombia - 22 Oct 2025 - Diferoch - 1
Photo: Diferoch, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ocypode gaudichaudii - Nuquí, Chocó, Colombia - 22 Oct 2025 - Diferoch
Photo: Diferoch, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About El Cantil

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

The spot faces NW (329°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (149°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 5). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 27°C in December, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Termales, 3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 28°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$745–US$1,390 each

about US$745–US$1,390 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to UIB, estimated from distance and season, changing at BOG, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$329–US$678
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$60–US$107
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$127–US$208
Food7 days eating outabout US$141–US$255
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$745–US$1,390

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Termales

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Termales

about 5 min by car · 6 places to stay

about US$47/nightcountry average

See 6 places to stay in Termales · Booking.com

About Termales its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$47 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 15h 20m

About 15h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → UIB, changing at El Dorado International Airport (BOG), then 1h 50m by road

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