Is it worth the trip?
40Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 4 s
Mon 2 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 235kJ
- Wind
- SSE 17 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 140, poor
- Mon 254, fair
- Tue 339, poor
- Wed 464, good
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 628, too small
- Sat 717, too small
- Sun 812, poor
- Mon 952, fair
- Tue 1051, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 21 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Feb, May–Jun2 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 | 40, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 39, poor | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 64, good | 4 ft4 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft6 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 12, poor | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 235kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 17 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 52, fair | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 199kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 20°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 01:06 −0.2 mHigh 11:05 +0.3 mLow 20:22 −0.1 mHigh 23:00 −0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:28 −0.2 mHigh 11:56 +0.3 mLow 20:58 −0.1 mHigh 23:37 −0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:40 −0.2 mHigh 12:40 +0.3 mLow 21:36 −0.0 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 Feb, May–Jun
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
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 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
Gaivota 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Gaivota
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (128°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (308°). 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 16°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 25°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, May and June, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Balneário Gaivota, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 21°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$1,060–US$2,030 each
about US$1,060–US$2,030 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 CXJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at GRU, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$583–US$1,210 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$174–US$295 |
| 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$1,060–US$2,030 |
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 · 24 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Balneário Gaivota its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Passo de Torres on Booking.com
40 min by car · 108 places to stay
- Beds in Torres on Booking.com
43 min by car · 131 places to stay
About US$67 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 22h 40m
About 22h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → CXJ, changing at São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU), then 3h by road
Flights ORD → CXJ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.