Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 13 s
Tue 3 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 373kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 350kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 283kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 208kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 118kJ
- Wind
- SE 1 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 132kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 116kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 285, good
- Tue 372, good
- Wed 474, good
- Thu 569, good
- Fri 672, good
- Sat 738, too small
- Sun 833, too small
- Mon 937, too small
- Tue 1023, too small
- Wed 1134, 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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
El Faro does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 85, good | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 482kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 72, good | 4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 373kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 74, good | 3 ft13 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 350kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 69, good | 3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 283kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 72, good | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 208kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | wind from the south-east, 1 knot | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft14 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 165kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 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
- 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
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:53 −0.7 mHigh 12:00 +0.6 mLow 18:08 −0.7 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 Tue 3 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 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
- 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$792–US$1,490 each
about US$792–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 2 November 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$369–US$765 |
| 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$282 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$792–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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 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
about 30 min by car · 71 places to stay
- Beds in General Villamil on Booking.com
about 30 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 2 November 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 · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.