Staying Home Sucks, home

Marbella

Surf spot · Costa Rica

Is it worth the trip?

64Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 12 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 69 out of 100

Swell
5 ft12 ssoft
Energy
630kJ
Wind
E 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 78 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
474kJ
Wind
SSE 4 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 68 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
349kJ
Wind
SE 9 kn
Temp
24°C

Fri 6 · 69 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
221kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 37 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
153kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 30 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
82kJ
Wind
WSW 1 kn
Temp
26°C

Mon 9 · 51 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
174kJ
Wind
WSW 1 kn
Temp
27°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 274, good
  2. Tue 369, good
  3. Wed 478, good
  4. Thu 568, good
  5. Fri 669, good
  6. Sat 737, too small
  7. Sun 830, too small
  8. Mon 951, fair
  9. Tue 1057, fair

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Marbella does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Marbella, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov74, good5 ft13 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)851kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore29°C
Tue 3Nov69, good5 ft12 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)630kJwind from the east, 2 knots, offshore27°C
Wed 4Nov78, good4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)474kJwind from the south-south-east, 4 knots25°C
Thu 5Nov68, good4 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)349kJwind from the south-east, 9 knots24°C
Fri 6Nov69, good3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)221kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore28°C
Sat 7Nov37, too small2 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)153kJwind from the east, 1 knot, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov30, too small2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)82kJwind from the west-south-west, 1 knot26°C
Mon 9Nov51, fair3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)174kJwind from the west-south-west, 1 knot27°C
Tue 10Nov57, fair3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)172kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 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 01:42 −0.8 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:14 −0.9 mHigh 20:38 +0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:54 −0.8 mHigh 09:04 +0.8 mLow 15:23 −0.9 mHigh 21:48 +0.9 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:10 −0.8 mHigh 10:18 +0.8 mLow 16:32 −0.8 mHigh 22:55 +1.0 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 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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Marbella

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

The spot faces SW (238°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (58°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 54). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Marbella, 0.2 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$871–US$1,610 each

about US$871–US$1,610 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 LIR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$288–US$596
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$94–US$161
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$188–US$315
Food7 days eating outabout US$208–US$389
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout US$871–US$1,610

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

Marbella

about 5 min by car · 5 places to stay

about US$74/nightcountry average

See 5 places to stay in Marbella · Booking.com

About Marbella its beds, food and every spot near it

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 11h 05m

About 11h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 2h 10m by road

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