Is it worth the trip?
14Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (1 ft swell at 4 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- S 0 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 115, too small
- Mon 223, too small
- Tue 315, too small
- Wed 48, too small
- Thu 57, too small
- Fri 67, too small
- Sat 78, too small
- Sun 818, too small
- Mon 938, too small
- Tue 1026, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Dec4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for beginners | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 23, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the south, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 8, too small | under 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the south, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 7, too small | under 1 ft5 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 7, too small | under 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 8, too small | under 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft3 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the south, 0 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 38, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the south, 3 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 1 knot, offshore | 26°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 02:33 +0.1 mLow 08:33 −0.1 mHigh 15:23 +0.1 mLow 21:21 −0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:50 +0.1 mLow 09:37 −0.1 mHigh 16:09 +0.1 mLow 22:15 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:56 +0.1 mLow 10:36 −0.0 mHigh 16:51 +0.1 mLow 23:03 −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 in Dec
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 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
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 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
Palma Real 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.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Palma Real
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (352°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (172°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 156). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best month is usually December, with about 4 good days in 7; in May, July and September, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Nueva Armenia.
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$717–US$1,350 each
about US$717–US$1,350 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 RTB, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$523 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$74–US$127 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$147–US$248 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$161–US$308 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$717–US$1,350 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Nueva Armenia
4 min by car
about US$54/nightcountry average
About Nueva Armenia its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest town: Nueva Armenia, 3 km (about 5 min by car)
About US$54 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 12h 15m
About 12h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → RTB, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 1h 15m by road
Flights MDW → RTB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.