Is it worth the trip?
29Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 416kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 33°C
Wed 4 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 310kJ
- Wind
- NE 1 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 383kJ
- Wind
- NNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Fri 6 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 319kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 220kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Mon 9 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 169kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 244, too small
- Tue 338, too small
- Wed 428, too small
- Thu 532, too small
- Fri 631, too small
- Sat 727, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 918, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 30 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 44, too small | 5 ft12 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 619kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 33°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 38, too small | 4 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 416kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 33°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 310kJ | wind from the north-east, 1 knot | 32°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, too small | 4 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 383kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 1 knot, offshore | 31°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 31, too small | 4 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 319kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 220kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 31°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 32°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 32°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 155kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 31°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 01:37 −0.7 mHigh 07:54 +0.8 mLow 14:13 −0.8 mHigh 20:32 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:46 −0.7 mHigh 09:01 +0.7 mLow 15:17 −0.7 mHigh 21:40 +0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:00 −0.6 mHigh 10:12 +0.6 mLow 16:24 −0.7 mHigh 22:48 +0.8 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 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
La barra on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
2 places
- Puerto San Jose 4.8 km away
- Iztapa 7.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About La barra
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (166°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (346°). 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 300 m out (1 in 32). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 28°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is San Jose Escuintla, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 30°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$871–US$1,610 each
about US$871–US$1,610 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 GUA, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$261–US$549 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$871–US$1,610 |
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
8 min by car · 40 places to stay
About Puerto San José its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in San Jose Escuintla on Booking.com
8 min by car · 40 places to stay
- Beds in Iztapa on Booking.com
12 min by car · 17 places to stay
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 9h 45m
About 9h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → GUA, direct, then 1h 40m by road
Flights ORD → GUA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.