Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 5 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 765kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tue 3 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 610kJ
- Wind
- S 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 855kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 508kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 414kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 524kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 833kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 356, fair
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 546, fair
- Fri 645, fair
- Sat 763, good
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 948, fair
- Tue 1065, good
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 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Playita Brava 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 | 0, too big | 6 ft12 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 925kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft11 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 765kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft14 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 610kJ | wind from the south, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft11 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 855kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 46, fair | 5 ft10 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 508kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 45, fair | 6 ft9 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 414kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 63, good | 5 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 524kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 833kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 182kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 65, good | 5 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 303kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 22°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 00:24 +0.6 mLow 07:42 −0.4 mHigh 13:26 +0.0 mLow 18:28 −0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:31 +0.6 mLow 08:47 −0.4 mHigh 14:48 +0.1 mLow 19:55 −0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:41 +0.5 mLow 09:44 −0.4 mHigh 15:57 +0.2 mLow 21:22 −0.2 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 Jan
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Playita Brava 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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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
4 places
- Boca del rio 0.9 km away
- Pozo Hondo 1 km away
- El Hornito 1.4 km away
- Tacna - Punta Colorada 5.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Playita Brava
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 exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 28). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 17°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Boca Del Rio Tacna. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 19°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$978–US$1,870 each
about US$978–US$1,870 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 TCQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and LIM, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$476–US$992 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$268 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$181–US$342 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$80–US$134 |
| Total | about US$978–US$1,870 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
2 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Boca Del Rio Tacna its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Vila Vila on Booking.com
10 min by car
Nearest town: Boca Del Rio Tacna, 1 km (about 5 min by car)
About US$60 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 21h 05m
About 21h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → TCQ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM), then 1h 05m by road
Flights MDW → TCQ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.