Staying Home Sucks, home
Malecón de Bahía de Caráquez
Bahía de Caráquez, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: Jmorenov007, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

La bellaca

Surf spot · Ecuador

Is it worth the trip?

15Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 21 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
171kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
30°C

Wed 4 · 11 out of 100

Swell
1 ft16 ssoft
Energy
92kJ
Wind
NW 1 kn
Temp
30°C

Thu 5 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
142kJ
Wind
WNW 2 kn
Temp
30°C

Fri 6 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft18 ssoft
Energy
32kJ
Wind
ESE 3 kn
Temp
30°C

Sat 7 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft16 ssoft
Energy
60kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
31°C

Sun 8 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft14 ssoft
Energy
81kJ
Wind
E 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Mon 9 · 14 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 ssoft
Energy
87kJ
Wind
NE 0 kn
Temp
28°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 226, too small
  2. Tue 321, too small
  3. Wed 411, too small
  4. Thu 518, too small
  5. Fri 66, too small
  6. Sat 79, too small
  7. Sun 812, too small
  8. Mon 914, too small
  9. Tue 106, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 25 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Feb–Mar5 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at La bellaca, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov26, too small3 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)227kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore28°C
Tue 3Nov21, too small3 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)171kJwind from the east, 4 knots, offshore30°C
Wed 4Nov11, too small1 ft16 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the north-west, 1 knot30°C
Thu 5Nov18, too small2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)142kJwind from the west-north-west, 2 knots30°C
Fri 6Nov6, too small1 ft18 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)32kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore30°C
Sat 7Nov9, too small1 ft16 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots31°C
Sun 8Nov12, too small2 ft14 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)81kJwind from the east, 2 knots, offshore29°C
Mon 9Nov14, too small2 ft13 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)87kJwind from the north-east, 0 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov6, too small1 ft17 smushy2 ft at break (est.)43kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots30°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 02:59 −0.8 mHigh 09:05 +0.8 mLow 15:24 −1.0 mHigh 21:57 +1.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:16 −0.8 mHigh 10:24 +0.8 mLow 16:39 −0.9 mHigh 23:09 +1.0 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:32 −0.8 mHigh 11:41 +0.8 mLow 17:51 −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.

Map

the spot and its town

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.

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 La bellaca

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (288°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (108°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.0 km out (1 in 200). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 25°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February and March, with about 5 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Bahía de Caráquez, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 25°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$784–US$1,470 each

about US$784–US$1,470 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to MEC, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$362–US$750
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$67–US$114
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$134–US$221
Food7 days eating outabout US$154–US$281
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$67–US$107
Totalabout US$784–US$1,470

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Bahía de Caráquez

Closest

Bahía de Caráquez

about 5 min by car · 19 places to stay

about US$47/nightcountry average

See 19 places to stay in Bahía de Caráquez · Booking.com

About Bahía de Caráquez its beds, food and every spot near it

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 15h 10m

About 15h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → MEC, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 1h 10m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.