La Placa
Surf spot · Spain
Is it worth the trip?
11Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: too small (1 ft swell at 6 s)
Mon 2 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- SW 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 113, too small
- Mon 214, too small
- Tue 315, too small
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 67, too small
- Sat 75, too small
- Sun 83, too small
- Mon 913, too small
- Tue 1015, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Nov2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 5, too small | under 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the south-west, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 23°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 01:14 −0.1 mHigh 15:40 +0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:18 −0.1 mHigh 15:45 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:34 −0.1 mHigh 15:19 +0.1 mLow 19:40 +0.0 mHigh 20:35 +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 in Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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, its town, photos
La Placa 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.
Photos of La Placa
More surf near here
5 places
- Playa de San Juan 1.8 km away
- Playa San Juan 1.8 km away
- La Punta 1.9 km away
- Calita 2.1 km away
- La caleta 19.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About La Placa
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (129°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (309°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 57). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best month is usually November, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sant Joan Alacant, 6.1 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 20°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$1,070–US$2,030 each
about US$1,070–US$2,030 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 ALC, estimated from distance and season, changing at MAD, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$489–US$1,010 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$33–US$60 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$348 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$234–US$442 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$100–US$167 |
| Total | about US$1,070–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: Sant Joan Alacant
11 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Sant Joan Alacant its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$80 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 15m
About 17h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ALC, changing at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → ALC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.