Staying Home Sucks, home
Contadora beach wreck
Near Lajas, 1 km away. Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Lajas

Surf spot · Panama

Is it worth the trip?

7Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: too small (1 ft swell at 5 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft6 s
Energy
4kJ
Wind
SSE 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft6 s
Energy
4kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 12 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 s
Energy
8kJ
Wind
NW 9 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft6 s
Energy
9kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 s
Energy
5kJ
Wind
SW 11 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 3 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft9 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Mon 9 · 3 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft7 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
ENE 1 kn
Temp
29°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 210, too small
  2. Tue 37, too small
  3. Wed 44, too small
  4. Thu 512, too small
  5. Fri 68, too small
  6. Sat 76, too small
  7. Sun 83, too small
  8. Mon 93, too small
  9. Tue 104, too small
  10. Wed 113, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 2–7 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best May–Aug3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Lajas, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov10, too small1 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)9kJwind from the east, 2 knots28°C
Tue 3Nov7, too small1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the south-south-east, 4 knots28°C
Wed 4Nov4, too small1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the south, 7 knots27°C
Thu 5Nov12, too small1 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore28°C
Fri 6Nov8, too small1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.)9kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots28°C
Sat 7Nov6, too small1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the south-west, 11 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots29°C
Mon 9Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the east-north-east, 1 knot29°C
Tue 10Nov4, too smallunder 1 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the north, 6 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 11Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore28°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 02:56 −1.6 mHigh 09:05 +1.6 mLow 15:26 −1.7 mHigh 21:52 +1.6 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:08 −1.5 mHigh 10:24 +1.4 mLow 16:38 −1.6 mHigh 23:08 +1.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:23 −1.5 mHigh 11:44 +1.4 mLow 17:49 −1.5 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 Lajas

Strand in Contadora
Near Lajas. Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Lajas

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

The spot faces SE (132°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (312°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea is about 26°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best months are usually May, June, July and August, with about 3 good days in 7; in January and February, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Saboga, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car).

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$765–US$1,450 each

about US$765–US$1,450 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 2 November 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$302–US$631
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$74–US$127
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$148–US$248
Food7 days eating outabout US$168–US$315
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$127
Totalabout US$765–US$1,450

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

Where to stay: Saboga

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Saboga

about 5 min by car · 5 places to stay

about US$54/nightcountry average

See 5 places to stay in Saboga · Booking.com

About Saboga 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 10h 40m

About 10h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → PTY, direct, then 1h 25m by road

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