Is it worth the trip?
29Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 12 s
Mon 2 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 505kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 373kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 342kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 280kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 178kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 scrumbling
- Energy
- 92kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 scrumbling
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 142, too small
- Mon 241, too small
- Tue 331, too small
- Wed 431, too small
- Thu 530, too small
- Fri 615, too small
- Sat 713, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 915, too small
- Tue 108, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Mar–May4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 42, too small | 4 ft13 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 569kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 41, too small | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 505kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 31, too small | 4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 373kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 31, too small | 3 ft13 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 342kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 280kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 178kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft14 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft14 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 29°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 02:06 −0.7 mHigh 08:07 +0.7 mLow 14:27 −0.9 mHigh 21:04 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:19 −0.6 mHigh 09:20 +0.6 mLow 15:38 −0.8 mHigh 22:16 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:38 −0.6 mHigh 10:42 +0.6 mLow 16:55 −0.7 mHigh 23:28 +0.8 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 Mar–May
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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 Faro on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Engabao 3.1 km away
- Mal Paso 3.9 km away
- pico hambre 13.5 km away
- La Posada 14 km away
- Sharkbay 14.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Faro
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (224°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (44°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 1000 m out (1 in 99). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 23°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April and May, with about 4 good days in 7; in November and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Engabao, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 24°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$791–US$1,490 each
about US$791–US$1,490 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 GYE, estimated from distance and season, changing at MIA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$368–US$764 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$134–US$221 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$154–US$281 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$791–US$1,490 |
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
5 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Engabao its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Playas on Booking.com
28 min by car · 71 places to stay
- Beds in General Villamil on Booking.com
28 min by car · 67 places to stay
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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 15h 45m
About 15h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GYE, changing at Miami International Airport (MIA), then 1h 45m by road
Flights MDW → GYE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.