Is it worth the trip?
55Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 405kJ
- Wind
- SSE 14 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 571kJ
- Wind
- SSE 15 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 402kJ
- Wind
- S 10 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 288kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 300kJ
- Wind
- SSE 12 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 413kJ
- Wind
- SSE 12 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 348kJ
- Wind
- SSE 12 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 245, fair
- Tue 344, poor
- Wed 448, fair
- Thu 564, good
- Fri 654, fair
- Sat 746, fair
- Sun 854, fair
- Mon 955, fair
- Tue 1043, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Mar–May3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Malpaso does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 612kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 13 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 405kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 14 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 48, fair | 4 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 571kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 15 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 64, good | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 402kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 288kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft14 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 300kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 12 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 413kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 12 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 348kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 12 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 25°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 04:46 −0.2 mHigh 10:04 +0.1 mLow 16:18 −0.4 mHigh 23:15 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:06 −0.3 mHigh 11:44 +0.2 mLow 17:46 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:23 +0.5 mLow 07:07 −0.4 mHigh 13:05 +0.3 mLow 19:02 −0.3 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 Mar–May
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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 and its town
Malpaso on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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 Malpaso
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (267°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (87°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 17°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April and May, with about 3 good days in 7; in January and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Puerto Malabrigo, 3.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 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$898–US$1,710 each
about US$898–US$1,710 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to CIX, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$395–US$831 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$268 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$181–US$342 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$80–US$134 |
| Total | about US$898–US$1,710 |
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
about 10 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Puerto Malabrigo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Puémape on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 5 places to stay
About US$60 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 05m
About 17h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → CIX, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 2h 15m by road
Flights ORD → CIX on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.