Estero Beach
Surf spot · Panama
Is it worth the trip?
47Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 206kJ
- Wind
- WNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 135kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 108kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 134kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 167kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 91kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 155, fair
- Mon 266, good
- Tue 343, too small
- Wed 445, fair
- Thu 527, poor
- Fri 644, too small
- Sat 744, too small
- Sun 837, too small
- Mon 940, too small
- Tue 1065, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best May–Jul4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 225kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 66, good | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 206kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 1 knot | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 43, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 135kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 108kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 27, poor | 3 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft11 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 167kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 44, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 65, good | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 28°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 01:44 −1.2 mHigh 07:53 +1.3 mLow 14:15 −1.4 mHigh 20:37 +1.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:50 −1.1 mHigh 09:00 +1.2 mLow 15:20 −1.2 mHigh 21:46 +1.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:05 −1.0 mHigh 10:15 +1.1 mLow 16:32 −1.1 mHigh 22:59 +1.2 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.
Best time to go
best May–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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, its town, photos
Estero Beach 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.
Photos of Estero Beach
.jpeg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
More surf near here
4 places
- Santa Catalina 1.4 km away
- Punta Brava 2.5 km away
- Punta Roca 4 km away
- San Pedrillo 9.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Estero Beach
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 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 92). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 4 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santa Catalina, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 28°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$764–US$1,450 each
about US$764–US$1,450 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 DAV, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$301–US$630 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$74–US$127 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$147–US$248 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$167–US$315 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$127 |
| Total | about US$764–US$1,450 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Santa Catalina
3 min by car · 30 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
About Santa Catalina its beds, food and every spot near it
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 16h
About 16h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DAV, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 3h by road
Flights ORD → DAV on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.