Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 6 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 733kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 684kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 340kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft14 smushy
- Energy
- 449kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 651kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 651kJ
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 307kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 336, too small
- Wed 442, too small
- Thu 533, too small
- Fri 624, too small
- Sat 750, fair
- Sun 854, fair
- Mon 919, too small
- Tue 1026, too small
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
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 58, fair | 6 ft12 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 785kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 36, too small | 5 ft12 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 733kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 42, too small | 5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 684kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 33, too small | 4 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 340kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 24, too small | 4 ft14 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 449kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 50, fair | 6 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 651kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 54, fair | 6 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 651kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 19, too small | 4 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 307kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft13 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 411kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 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 experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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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
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 · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.