Staying Home Sucks, home
Panamá-Playa
Los Santos, the wider area. Photo: Inzay20, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Madroño

Surf spot · Panama

Is it worth the trip?

67Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 12 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 67 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
410kJ
Wind
NNW 2 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 70 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
276kJ
Wind
WNW 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 87 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
364kJ
Wind
NNW 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Fri 6 · 59 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 smushy
Energy
308kJ
Wind
SSE 6 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 44 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 smushy
Energy
183kJ
Wind
SW 8 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 28 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
114kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 70 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
226kJ
Wind
SSE 3 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 281, good
  2. Tue 367, good
  3. Wed 470, good
  4. Thu 587, good
  5. Fri 659, fair
  6. Sat 744, poor
  7. Sun 828, too small
  8. Mon 970, good
  9. Tue 1074, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best May–Jun6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Madroño, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov81, good4 ft13 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)445kJwind from the south-east, 2 knots27°C
Tue 3Nov67, good4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)410kJwind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 4Nov70, good3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)276kJwind from the west-north-west, 3 knots27°C
Thu 5Nov87, good4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)364kJwind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore27°C
Fri 6Nov59, fair4 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.)308kJwind from the south-south-east, 6 knots27°C
Sat 7Nov44, poor3 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.)183kJwind from the south-west, 8 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov28, too small2 ft13 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)114kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov70, good3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)226kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov74, good3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)221kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 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

  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:50 −1.1 mHigh 08:59 +1.2 mLow 15:19 −1.2 mHigh 21:47 +1.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:05 −1.0 mHigh 10:16 +1.1 mLow 16:32 −1.1 mHigh 23:00 +1.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:22 −1.0 mHigh 11:34 +1.1 mLow 17:44 −1.1 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 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.

More surf near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Madroño

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

The spot faces S (172°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (352°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 84). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 26°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 6 good days in 7; in January and December, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Pedasí. 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$764–US$1,450 each

about US$764–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 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
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$74–US$127
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$764–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: 3 towns

Closest

Canas

about 10 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$54/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Canas · Booking.com

About Canas its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Pedasí, 26 km (about 50 min by car)

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 13h 10m

About 13h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → PTY, direct, then 3h 50m by road

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