Is it worth the trip?
44Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 120kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 184kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 186kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 117kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 85kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 138, poor
- Mon 237, too small
- Tue 342, poor
- Wed 462, good
- Thu 546, fair
- Fri 639, too small
- Sat 719, too small
- Sun 833, too small
- Mon 938, too small
- Tue 1039, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Nov–Dec5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Katakor does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 38, poor | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 120kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 62, good | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 186kJ | wind from the west, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 117kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 39, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 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 02:23 −0.3 mHigh 08:18 +0.3 mLow 14:49 −0.5 mHigh 21:51 +0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:57 −0.2 mHigh 09:48 +0.3 mLow 16:06 −0.5 mHigh 23:09 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:30 −0.3 mHigh 11:20 +0.3 mLow 17:24 −0.5 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 Nov–Dec
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
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 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
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec5of 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
Katakor 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
5 places
- Cape Three Points 5.6 km away
- Magic bay 7.6 km away
- Dixcove 11.6 km away
- Black Mamba 12.7 km away
- Busua 12.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Katakor
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (158°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (338°). 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 250 m out (1 in 23). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 25°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually November and December, with about 5 good days in 7; in July and August, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Busua.
Water about 29°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$998–US$1,940 each
about US$998–US$1,940 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 ABJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$603–US$1,250 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$107 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$127–US$214 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$147–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$60–US$100 |
| Total | about US$998–US$1,940 |
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
20 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Dixcove its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Busua on Booking.com
23 min by car · 10 places to stay
- Beds in Axim on Booking.com
44 min by car · 2 places to stay
Nearest beds: Busua, 13 km (about 25 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 23h 20m
About 23h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ABJ, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 4h by road
Flights ORD → ABJ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.