El frances
Surf spot · Colombia
Is it worth the trip?
1Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft2 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft2 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 12, too small
- Mon 22, too small
- Tue 31, too small
- Wed 41, too small
- Thu 51, too small
- Fri 62, too small
- Sat 71, too small
- Sun 80, too small
- Mon 92, too small
- Tue 101, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 30 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft2 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too small | under 1 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 06:27 −0.0 mLow 10:05 −0.1 mHigh 17:18 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:30 −0.2 mHigh 07:07 +0.0 mLow 11:20 −0.1 mHigh 18:13 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:04 −0.1 mHigh 07:47 +0.1 mLow 12:34 −0.0 mHigh 19:07 +0.2 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
El frances 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.
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.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El frances
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (264°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (84°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.7 km out (1 in 167). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 29°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Santiago de Tolú, 8.7 km away (about 15 min by car).
Water about 30°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$717–US$1,330 each
about US$717–US$1,330 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 CTG, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$301–US$616 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$107 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$127–US$208 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$141–US$255 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$717–US$1,330 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Santiago de Tolú
15 min by car · 83 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Santiago de Tolú 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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 13h 55m
About 13h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CTG, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 1h 55m by road
Flights MDW → CTG on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.