Is it worth the trip?
60Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft14 scrumbling
- Energy
- 410kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 701kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 311kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 238kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 541kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 731kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 357kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 229, poor
- Tue 368, good
- Wed 456, fair
- Thu 567, good
- Fri 667, good
- Sat 768, good
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 951, fair
- Tue 1067, good
- Wed 1169, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jan–Mar6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 29, poor | 5 ft11 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 656kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 68, good | 3 ft14 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 410kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 56, fair | 6 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 701kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 67, good | 4 ft11 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 311kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 67, good | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 238kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 68, good | 5 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 541kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 731kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 51, fair | 5 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 357kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 67, good | 4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 219kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 69, good | 4 ft13 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 510kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 18°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 03:40 +0.6 mLow 10:54 −0.4 mHigh 16:54 +0.1 mLow 22:14 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:52 +0.5 mLow 11:54 −0.5 mHigh 18:04 +0.2 mLow 23:40 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 06:00 +0.5 mLow 12:45 −0.5 mHigh 19:01 +0.3 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 Jan–Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 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 Loa on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: 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 Loa
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (269°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (89°). 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 600 m out (1 in 62). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February and March, with about 6 good days in 7; in August, September and October, about 4. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Nearest beds: Alto Hospicio, 130 km. Nearest airport: Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ), 101 km.
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$817–US$1,610 each
about US$817–US$1,610 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 IQQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and SCL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$489–US$1,030 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$174–US$328 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$127 |
| Total | about US$817–US$1,610 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 130 km away
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Alto Hospicio, 130 km. Nearest airport: Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ), 101 km.
See places to stay near Alto Hospicio, 130 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 25h 50m
About 25h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → IQQ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL), then 2h 05m by road
Flights MDW → IQQ on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.