Is it worth the trip?
30Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 5 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 389kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 358kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 316kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 113kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 205kJ
- Wind
- NNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 470kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 298kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 129, too small
- Mon 232, too small
- Tue 329, too small
- Wed 431, too small
- Thu 516, too small
- Fri 610, too small
- Sat 742, too small
- Sun 828, too small
- Mon 913, too small
- Tue 1041, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Aug5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 29, too small | 4 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 411kJ | offshorewind from the north, 10 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 32, too small | 4 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 389kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 358kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 31, too small | 4 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 316kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 113kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft16 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 205kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 42, too small | 5 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 470kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 298kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 41, too small | 4 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 419kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 23°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 03:33 +0.3 mLow 07:37 +0.1 mHigh 13:33 +0.6 mLow 21:15 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:24 +0.4 mLow 09:37 −0.1 mHigh 15:13 +0.6 mLow 22:15 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:03 +0.6 mLow 10:53 −0.3 mHigh 16:36 +0.5 mLow 23:05 −0.8 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 in Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 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 Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Mother Theresas on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: 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
- Marias 0 km away
- Terasa'sTrailerPark 0.1 km away
- K-38 0.6 km away
- Terracitas 0.6 km away
- Las Gaviotas 2.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Mother Theresas
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (217°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (37°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 16°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually August, with about 5 good days in 7; in January, March and April, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Las Gaviotas, 2.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$811–US$1,480 each
about US$811–US$1,480 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 MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$154 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$295 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$375 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$811–US$1,480 |
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
5 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Las Gaviotas its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Puerto Nuevo on Booking.com
10 min by car · 8 places to stay
- Beds in Primo Tapia on Booking.com
15 min by car · 11 places to stay
About US$67 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 7h 20m
About 7h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → SAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.