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Estero de Platano
Surf spot · Ecuador
Is it worth the trip?
50Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 340kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 247kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 141kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 213kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 147kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 165, good
- Mon 266, good
- Tue 360, good
- Wed 438, too small
- Thu 560, good
- Fri 631, too small
- Sat 726, too small
- Sun 828, too small
- Mon 926, too small
- Tue 1024, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Jan–Feb3 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 | 65, good | 4 ft13 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 401kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 66, good | 4 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 340kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 60, good | 3 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 141kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 60, good | 3 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 213kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 31, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 147kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 26, too small | 1 ft15 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft14 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | wind from the north, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, too small | 1 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 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 01:45 −1.0 mHigh 07:52 +1.1 mLow 14:11 −1.2 mHigh 20:39 +1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:53 −0.9 mHigh 09:01 +0.9 mLow 15:19 −1.1 mHigh 21:50 +1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:09 −0.8 mHigh 10:18 +0.9 mLow 16:33 −1.0 mHigh 23:02 +1.1 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–Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 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 and its town
Estero de Platano 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.
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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
3 places
- Casa Blanca 20.4 km away
- Atacames 28.7 km away
- Tonsupa 33.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Estero de Platano
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (301°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (121°). It is sheltered 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 500 m out (1 in 48). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 26°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and February, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Atacames.
Water about 26°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$770–US$1,450 each
about US$770–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 TCO, estimated from distance and season, changing at BOG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$348–US$724 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$134–US$221 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$154–US$281 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$770–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: 3 towns
50 min by car · 109 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Atacames its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mompiche on Booking.com
54 min by car · 20 places to stay
- Beds in Tonsupa on Booking.com
59 min by car · 93 places to stay
Nearest beds: Atacames, 29 km (about 50 min by car)
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 17h 25m
About 17h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → TCO, changing at El Dorado International Airport (BOG), then 3h 35m by road
Flights ORD → TCO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.