Is it worth the trip?
27Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (5 ft swell at 12 s), onshore wind, 11 kn (20 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 607kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 351kJ
- Wind
- SSE 12 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 494kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 402kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 213kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 201kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 416kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 129, too small
- Mon 232, too small
- Tue 319, too small
- Wed 430, too small
- Thu 528, too small
- Fri 614, too small
- Sat 719, too small
- Sun 829, too small
- Mon 926, too small
- Tue 1017, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Keys does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 29, too small | 5 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 556kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 32, too small | 5 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 607kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 19, too small | 4 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 351kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 494kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 402kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 213kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 201kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, too small | 4 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 416kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 389kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 27°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 03:17 −0.2 mHigh 08:32 +0.2 mLow 14:54 −0.5 mHigh 22:00 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:46 −0.2 mHigh 10:04 +0.1 mLow 16:18 −0.4 mHigh 23:15 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:06 −0.3 mHigh 11:44 +0.2 mLow 17:46 −0.3 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.
Map
the spot and its town
Keys 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.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Keys
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (296°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (116°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 17°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Puerto Malabrigo, 2.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 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$898–US$1,710 each
about US$898–US$1,710 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 CIX, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$395–US$831 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$268 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$181–US$342 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$80–US$134 |
| Total | about US$898–US$1,710 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
5 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Puerto Malabrigo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Puémape on Booking.com
41 min by car · 5 places to stay
About US$60 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 05m
About 17h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → CIX, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 2h 15m by road
Flights ORD → CIX on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.