Punta del Palmar
Surf spot · Panama
Is it worth the trip?
9Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 s
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft15 s
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 18, too small
- Mon 211, too small
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 47, too small
- Thu 511, too small
- Fri 66, too small
- Sat 76, too small
- Sun 85, too small
- Mon 99, too small
- Tue 1010, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–14 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft13 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft12 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft12 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 5, too small | under 1 ft15 s1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft14 s1 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 01:50 −1.7 mHigh 07:55 +1.8 mLow 14:19 −1.9 mHigh 20:38 +1.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:55 −1.5 mHigh 09:02 +1.5 mLow 15:24 −1.6 mHigh 21:49 +1.6 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:07 −1.4 mHigh 10:20 +1.4 mLow 16:36 −1.5 mHigh 23:04 +1.6 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 del Palmar on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- El palmar point 0 km away
- Jeffreys's (San Carlos Point) 0.9 km away
- Riomar 2.3 km away
- Costa Esmeralda 3.9 km away
- Tetas 5.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Punta del Palmar
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (143°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (323°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.5 km out (1 in 147). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 25°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is San Carlos, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 28°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$764–US$1,450 each
about US$764–US$1,450 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 PTY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$301–US$630 |
| 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$764–US$1,450 |
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
1 min by car · 12 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
About San Carlos its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Coronado Cocle on Booking.com
16 min by car · 16 places to stay
- Beds in Gorgona on Booking.com
23 min by car · 14 places to stay
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 11h 10m
About 11h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PTY, direct, then 1h 55m by road
Flights ORD → PTY on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.