Punch Reef
Surf spot · Panama
Is it worth the trip?
8Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- SW 1 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 222, too small
- Tue 315, too small
- Wed 48, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 67, too small
- Sat 76, too small
- Sun 82, too small
- Mon 92, too small
- Tue 102, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Sep2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 1 knot, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 2 knots, offshore | 28°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 00:58 −0.2 mHigh 07:30 +0.1 mLow 12:06 −0.1 mHigh 18:29 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:35 −0.2 mHigh 08:14 +0.1 mLow 13:26 −0.0 mHigh 19:27 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 02:13 −0.1 mHigh 09:02 +0.1 mLow 14:57 −0.0 mHigh 20:36 +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 Sep
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 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
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Punch Reef 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Carenerro Point Break 1.4 km away
- skully's 2.3 km away
- Dumpers 3.2 km away
- Silver Back 4.4 km away
- wizard Beach 4.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Punch Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (18°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (198°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 3.1 km out (1 in 313). 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 September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best month is usually September, with about 2 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Bocas del Toro, 0.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 11 dive sites.
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$757–US$1,430 each
about US$757–US$1,430 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 ORD to SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$295–US$610 |
| 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$167–US$315 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$127 |
| Total | about US$757–US$1,430 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Bocas del Toro
1 min by car · 94 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
About Bocas del Toro its beds, food and every spot near it
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 13h 15m
About 13h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 4h 15m by road
Flights ORD → SJO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.