Is it worth the trip?
28Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- WNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 164, good
- Mon 250, fair
- Tue 335, too small
- Wed 427, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 713, too small
- Sun 83, too small
- Mon 94, too small
- Tue 105, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Feb, Dec4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 64, good | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the west, 7 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 4, too small | under 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 28°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 NovHigh 05:56 +0.0 mLow 09:56 −0.1 mHigh 16:40 +0.2 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:07 −0.2 mHigh 06:38 +0.1 mLow 11:09 −0.0 mHigh 17:31 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 00:44 −0.2 mHigh 07:21 +0.1 mLow 12:30 −0.0 mHigh 18:28 +0.1 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.
Best time to go
best Feb, Dec
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec4of 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
Manzanillo 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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Playa grande 2.7 km away
- Punta Uva 4.1 km away
- Playa cocles 9.2 km away
- Salsa Brava 11.9 km away
- Playa negra 13 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Manzanillo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (19°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (199°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 39). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February and December, with about 4 good days in 7; in October, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Manzanillo, 1.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 29°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$878–US$1,630 each
about US$878–US$1,630 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 SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$295–US$610 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$161 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$188–US$315 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$208–US$389 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about US$878–US$1,630 |
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
2 min by car · 28 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About Manzanillo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Playa Chiquita on Booking.com
12 min by car · 61 places to stay
- Beds in Cocles on Booking.com
16 min by car · 66 places to stay
About US$74 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 14h 40m
About 14h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 5h 35m by road
Flights ORD → SJO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.