Montanita
Surf spot · Ecuador
Is it worth the trip?
60Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 383kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 336kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 298kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 202kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 scrumbling
- Energy
- 105kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 151kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 151kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 285, good
- Tue 367, good
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 573, good
- Fri 668, good
- Sat 729, too small
- Sun 841, too small
- Mon 940, too small
- Tue 1030, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Feb–Apr6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 85, good | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 477kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 67, good | 4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 383kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft12 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 336kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 73, good | 3 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 298kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 68, good | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 202kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft14 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 151kJ | wind from the west, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 40, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 151kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 27°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 03:09 −0.6 mHigh 09:13 +0.7 mLow 15:33 −0.8 mHigh 22:06 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:29 −0.6 mHigh 10:34 +0.6 mLow 16:50 −0.7 mHigh 23:18 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:44 −0.7 mHigh 11:52 +0.7 mLow 18:02 −0.7 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–Apr
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 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
Montanita 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
- Montañita-beachbreak 1.5 km away
- Olon 4.1 km away
- Playa Nunez 10.2 km away
- La entrada 12.4 km away
- La Rinconada 14.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Montanita
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (260°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (80°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 69). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 23°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, March and April, with about 6 good days in 7; in July, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Montañita, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 24°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$784–US$1,470 each
about US$784–US$1,470 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 MEC, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$362–US$750 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$134–US$221 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$154–US$281 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$784–US$1,470 |
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
3 min by car · 139 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Montañita its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Olón on Booking.com
7 min by car · 28 places to stay
- Beds in La Entrada on Booking.com
24 min by car · 2 places to stay
About US$47 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 16h
About 16h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MEC, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 2h by road
Flights ORD → MEC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.