Staying Home Sucks, home
Looking south - panoramio (2)
Near La zurda. Photo: Henry P. Gray, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

La zurda

Surf spot · Panama

Is it worth the trip?

7Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: too small (1 ft swell at 12 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 ssoft
Energy
39kJ
Wind
W 7 kn
Temp
29°C

Tue 3 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 ssoft
Energy
37kJ
Wind
SSE 2 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 ssoft
Energy
27kJ
Wind
SSE 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 8 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 ssoft
Energy
29kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 smushy
Energy
25kJ
Wind
SSE 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 ssoft
Energy
17kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 3 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft15 s
Energy
9kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
29°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 18, too small
  2. Mon 29, too small
  3. Tue 37, too small
  4. Wed 45, too small
  5. Thu 58, too small
  6. Fri 64, too small
  7. Sat 74, too small
  8. Sun 83, too small
  9. Mon 95, too small
  10. Tue 109, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

La zurda does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at La zurda, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov8, too small1 ft13 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the north-west, 10 knots, offshore29°C
Mon 2Nov9, too small1 ft12 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the west, 7 knots, offshore29°C
Tue 3Nov7, too small1 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)37kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots28°C
Wed 4Nov5, too small1 ft10 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)27kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots28°C
Thu 5Nov8, too small2 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)29kJwind from the west, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Fri 6Nov4, too small1 ft9 smushy1 ft at break (est.)25kJwind from the south-south-east, 6 knots28°C
Sat 7Nov4, too small1 ft10 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)17kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft15 s1 ft at break (est.)9kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots29°C
Mon 9Nov5, too small1 ft13 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the north-west, 6 knots, offshore29°C
Tue 10Nov9, too small1 ft12 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)30kJwind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore29°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 01:52 −1.9 mHigh 07:57 +1.9 mLow 14:21 −2.0 mHigh 20:40 +1.8 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:57 −1.7 mHigh 09:05 +1.6 mLow 15:27 −1.8 mHigh 21:51 +1.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:09 −1.6 mHigh 10:24 +1.5 mLow 16:38 −1.6 mHigh 23:08 +1.7 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, its town, photos

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 zurda

Intertidal Mudflats off Panama City - Flickr - treegrow
Near La zurda. Photo: Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ships off Panama City - Flickr - treegrow
Near La zurda. Photo: Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About La zurda

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

The spot faces SE (121°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (301°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 8.3 km out (1 in 833). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 25°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ciudad de Panama, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 28°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$730–US$1,380 each

about US$730–US$1,380 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to PTY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$301–US$630
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$40–US$60
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$147–US$248
Food7 days eating outabout US$167–US$315
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$127
Totalabout US$730–US$1,380

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

Closest

Ciudad de Panama

4 min by car · 153 places to stay

about US$54/nightcountry average

See 153 places to stay in Ciudad de Panama · Booking.com

About Ciudad de Panama its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$54 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 9h 55m

About 9h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → PTY, direct, then 35 min by road

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