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Punta del Este, Praia Brava - panoramio
El Emir. Photo: Paulo JC Nogueira, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

El Emir

Surf spot · Uruguay

Is it worth the trip?

22Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 5 s, onshore wind, 12 kn (21 km/h)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 3 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft11 s
Energy
5kJ
Wind
E 10 kn
Temp
16°C

Wed 4 · 25 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 s
Energy
19kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 30 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 s
Energy
42kJ
Wind
SSW 8 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 s
Energy
16kJ
Wind
NNW 12 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 1 out of 100

Swell
1 ft6 s
Energy
5kJ
Wind
SSW 25 kn
Temp
13°C

Sun 8 · 32 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 s
Energy
51kJ
Wind
S 12 kn
Temp
15°C

Mon 9 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 s
Energy
18kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
16°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 225, too small
  2. Tue 33, too small
  3. Wed 425, too small
  4. Thu 530, too small
  5. Fri 619, too small
  6. Sat 71, too small
  7. Sun 832, poor
  8. Mon 919, too small
  9. Tue 107, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

El Emir 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 Emir, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov25, too small2 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.)24kJwind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore17°C
Tue 3Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the east, 10 knots16°C
Wed 4Nov25, too small2 ft4 s2 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the east, 5 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov30, too small3 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.)42kJwind from the south-south-west, 8 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov19, too small2 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the north-north-west, 12 knots, offshore20°C
Sat 7Nov1, too small1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the south-south-west, 25 knots13°C
Sun 8Nov32, poor4 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.)51kJwind from the south, 12 knots15°C
Mon 9Nov19, too small2 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.)18kJwind from the north, 4 knots, offshore16°C
Tue 10Nov7, too small1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots18°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 00:54 +0.1 mLow 08:02 −0.1 mHigh 13:43 +0.1 mLow 21:40 −0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 01:46 +0.1 mLow 09:37 −0.2 mHigh 14:47 +0.1 mLow 22:43 −0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 02:41 +0.1 mLow 10:56 −0.2 mHigh 15:55 +0.1 mLow 19:10 +0.0 mHigh 19:50 +0.0 mLow 23:43 −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, its town, photos

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.

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 Emir

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About El Emir

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

The spot faces SE (139°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (319°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 12°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 23°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Punta del Este, 0.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$1,270–US$2,430 each

about US$1,270–US$2,430 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 ORD to PDP, estimated from distance and season, changing at GRU, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$603–US$1,250
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$40–US$74
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$275–US$462
Food7 days eating outabout US$248–US$462
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$107–US$174
Totalabout US$1,270–US$2,430

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

Punta del Este

about 5 min by car · 86 places to stay

about US$100/nightcountry average

See 86 places to stay in Punta del Este · Booking.com

About Punta del Este 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 21h 15m

About 21h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → PDP, changing at São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU), then 40 min by road

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