Staying Home Sucks, home

El cocal

Surf spot · Puerto Rico

Is it worth the trip?

27Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 41 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
37kJ
Wind
NNE 6 kn
Temp
31°C

Tue 3 · 34 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
27kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
30°C

Wed 4 · 39 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
21kJ
Wind
SE 1 kn
Temp
30°C

Thu 5 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
9kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
30°C

Fri 6 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 smushy
Energy
2kJ
Wind
W 3 kn
Temp
29°C

Sat 7 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 s
Energy
2kJ
Wind
NNW 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 3 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft6 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
NW 7 kn
Temp
30°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 126, too small
  2. Mon 241, poor
  3. Tue 334, too small
  4. Wed 439, too small
  5. Thu 519, too small
  6. Fri 65, too small
  7. Sat 74, too small
  8. Sun 83, too small
  9. Mon 95, too small
  10. Tue 104, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

El cocal does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at El cocal, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov26, too small3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.)25kJwind from the east, 7 knots31°C
Mon 2Nov41, poor3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)37kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore31°C
Tue 3Nov34, too small3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)27kJwind from the east, 5 knots30°C
Wed 4Nov39, too small2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)21kJwind from the south-east, 1 knot30°C
Thu 5Nov19, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)9kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore30°C
Fri 6Nov5, too small1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the west, 3 knots29°C
Sat 7Nov4, too small1 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the north-west, 7 knots, offshore30°C
Mon 9Nov5, too small1 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)3kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots30°C
Tue 10Nov4, too small1 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)3kJwind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore30°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 03:55 −0.1 mHigh 15:55 +0.2 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 04:22 −0.1 mHigh 16:26 +0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:20 −0.0 mHigh 16:26 +0.1 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 and its town

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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About El cocal

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

The spot faces S (164°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (344°). It is sheltered 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 1.3 km out (1 in 127). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Yabucoa, 3.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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$1,080–US$1,980 each

about US$1,080–US$1,980 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 SJU, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$275–US$576
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$275–US$456
Food7 days eating outabout US$308–US$576
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,080–US$1,980

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

Closest

Yabucoa

5 min by car

about US$100/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Yabucoa · Booking.com

About Yabucoa its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$100 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 9h 25m

About 9h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SJU, direct, then 1h 10m by road

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