Playas
Surf spot · Ecuador
Is it worth the trip?
65Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 12 s
Mon 2 · 86 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 467kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 335kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 299kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 256kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 150kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sat 7 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 ssoft
- Energy
- 87kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 179, good
- Mon 286, good
- Tue 369, good
- Wed 466, good
- Thu 570, good
- Fri 646, fair
- Sat 728, too small
- Sun 832, too small
- Mon 930, too small
- Tue 1021, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Mar4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Playas does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 79, good | 4 ft13 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 498kJ | wind from the north-west, 1 knot | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 86, good | 4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 467kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 69, good | 4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 335kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 66, good | 3 ft13 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 299kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 70, good | 3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 256kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft14 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 87kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft13 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 29°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 NovLow 02:06 −0.7 mHigh 08:07 +0.7 mLow 14:27 −0.9 mHigh 21:04 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:19 −0.6 mHigh 09:20 +0.6 mLow 15:38 −0.8 mHigh 22:16 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:38 −0.6 mHigh 10:42 +0.6 mLow 16:55 −0.7 mHigh 23:28 +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 Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Playas 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Olas Verdes 1 km away
- Chabela 1.2 km away
- sharkbay, Playas Ecuador 1.4 km away
- Sharkbay 1.5 km away
- La Posada 2.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Playas
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (211°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (31°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 7.7 km out (1 in 769). 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 28°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually March, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Playas, 1.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 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$791–US$1,490 each
about US$791–US$1,490 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 GYE, estimated from distance and season, changing at MIA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$368–US$764 |
| 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$791–US$1,490 |
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 · 71 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Playas its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in General Villamil on Booking.com
4 min by car · 67 places to stay
- Beds in Engabao on Booking.com
23 min by car · 3 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 15h 40m
About 15h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GYE, changing at Miami International Airport (MIA), then 1h 40m by road
Flights MDW → GYE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.