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El Zonte
Surf spot · El Salvador
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 524kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 478kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 392kJ
- Wind
- NE 1 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 331kJ
- Wind
- NE 1 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 296kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 197kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 151, fair
- Mon 247, fair
- Tue 347, fair
- Wed 436, too small
- Thu 539, too small
- Fri 636, too small
- Sat 722, too small
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1012, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 30 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 51, fair | 5 ft14 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 721kJ | offshorewind from the north, 4 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 47, fair | 5 ft12 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 524kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 47, fair | 4 ft12 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 478kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 36, too small | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 392kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 39, too small | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 331kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, too small | 3 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 296kJ | offshorewind from the north, 2 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 197kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | offshorewind from the north, 2 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 00:37 −0.9 mHigh 06:52 +1.0 mLow 13:15 −0.9 mHigh 19:29 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:39 −0.8 mHigh 07:53 +0.8 mLow 14:14 −0.8 mHigh 20:33 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:49 −0.7 mHigh 09:00 +0.7 mLow 15:19 −0.8 mHigh 21:41 +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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec4of 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 Zonte 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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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
- El Zonte Rivermouth 1.1 km away
- Atamis 1.6 km away
- Palmarcito 2.1 km away
- K59 4.2 km away
- Punta Coco 4.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Zonte
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (186°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (6°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 31). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is El Zonte, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.
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 ORD to SAL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$268–US$563 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$74–US$121 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$161–US$295 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$121 |
| 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: 3 towns
1 min by car · 28 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
About El Zonte its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in El Tunco on Booking.com
10 min by car · 76 places to stay
- Beds in Mizata on Booking.com
30 min by car · 5 places to stay
About US$54 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 9h 35m
About 9h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SAL, direct, then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → SAL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.