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Poneloya Beach Las Penitas
Surf spot · Nicaragua
Is it worth the trip?
43Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 5 ft swell at 11 s
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 544kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 492kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 500kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 410kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 257kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 149kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 208kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 255, fair
- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 451, fair
- Thu 545, fair
- Fri 641, too small
- Sat 731, too small
- Sun 819, too small
- Mon 925, too small
- Tue 1024, too small
- Wed 1112, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 55, fair | 5 ft12 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 728kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 5 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 544kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 51, fair | 5 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 492kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 45, fair | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 500kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, too small | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 410kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 31, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 257kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 149kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 208kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 174kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft16 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 30°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 01:40 −0.8 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:15 −0.9 mHigh 20:36 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:51 −0.8 mHigh 09:02 +0.8 mLow 15:21 −0.8 mHigh 21:45 +0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:06 −0.8 mHigh 10:16 +0.8 mLow 16:29 −0.8 mHigh 22:52 +0.9 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
No month stands out
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
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Poneloya Beach Las Penitas 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.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Poneloya Beach Las Penitas
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (216°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (36°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 59). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Poneloya, 1.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 wind sports spots.
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$630–US$1,190 each
about US$630–US$1,190 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 MGA, estimated from distance and season, changing at MIA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$275–US$576 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$94 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$114–US$188 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$127–US$234 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$54–US$94 |
| Total | about US$630–US$1,190 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Poneloya
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$40/nightcountry average
About Poneloya its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$40 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
About 15h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MGA, changing at Miami International Airport (MIA), then 2h 55m by road
Flights MDW → MGA on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.