Punta Ballenas
Surf spot · Peru
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 374kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 33°C
Wed 4 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 356kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 279kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 86kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 279, good
- Tue 360, good
- Wed 451, fair
- Thu 555, fair
- Fri 612, too small
- Sat 720, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 927, too small
- Tue 1034, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–14 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Punta Ballenas does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 79, good | 4 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 474kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 60, good | 4 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 374kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 33°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 356kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 279kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft16 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the west, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft15 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 7 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:26 −0.4 mHigh 09:19 +0.4 mLow 15:38 −0.6 mHigh 22:21 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:49 −0.5 mHigh 10:46 +0.4 mLow 16:58 −0.6 mHigh 23:33 +0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:03 −0.6 mHigh 12:06 +0.5 mLow 18:12 −0.6 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.
Map
the spot and its town
Punta Ballenas 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
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
5 places
- Mancora 1.5 km away
- Las Pocitas 1.8 km away
- Puerto veleros 10.4 km away
- Los Organos 10.8 km away
- El Nuro 15.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Punta Ballenas
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (315°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (135°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 22°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Máncora, 3.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 22°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$884–US$1,670 each
about US$884–US$1,670 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 TYL, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and LIM, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$382–US$797 |
| 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$884–US$1,670 |
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
about 10 min by car · 147 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Máncora its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Los Órganos on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 90 places to stay
- Beds in El Ñuro on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 11 places to stay
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 10m
About 21h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → TYL, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM), then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → TYL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.