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Estero de Platano
Surf spot · Ecuador
Is it worth the trip?
48Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 257kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 147kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 227kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 163kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 91kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 264, good
- Tue 368, good
- Wed 443, too small
- Thu 559, fair
- Fri 644, too small
- Sat 723, too small
- Sun 831, too small
- Mon 928, too small
- Tue 1025, 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.
Estero de Platano does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 64, good | 4 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 349kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 68, good | 3 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 257kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 43, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 147kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 59, fair | 3 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | offshorewind from the east, 2 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 23, too small | 1 ft16 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 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
- 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
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:25 −0.9 mHigh 11:35 +0.9 mLow 17:46 −0.9 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 Tue 3 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 beginners: 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
about 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
about 55 min by car · 20 places to stay
- Beds in Tonsupa on Booking.com
about 1h 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.