Rio Grande-Tierra del Fuego
Surf spot · Argentina
Is it worth the trip?
14Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (2 ft swell at 6 s), 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- W 15 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- NW 23 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- WNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- W 20 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sat 7 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- W 20 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- NW 21 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 142, too small
- Mon 28, too small
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 414, too small
- Thu 535, too small
- Fri 63, too small
- Sat 77, too small
- Sun 82, too small
- Mon 922, too small
- Tue 103, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–13 ftof swell
- Water 7 °C5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves
- Best May–Aug1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | offshorewind from the west, 14 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the west, 15 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the north-west, 23 knots | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 14 knots | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the west, 20 knots | 12°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft8 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the west, 20 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the north-west, 21 knots | 10°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 19 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the north-west, 19 knots | 14°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 00:55 +2.9 mLow 07:07 −2.6 mHigh 13:02 +2.8 mLow 19:39 −3.5 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:04 +2.6 mLow 08:13 −2.4 mHigh 14:16 +2.5 mLow 20:46 −3.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:22 +2.5 mLow 09:23 −2.4 mHigh 15:40 +2.4 mLow 21:56 −3.1 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 May–Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 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
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
Rio Grande-Tierra del Fuego 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Rio Grande-Tierra del Fuego
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (44°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (224°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.8 km out (1 in 278). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 4°C in July, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 11°C in February, its warmest (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June, July and August, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Río Grande, 1.3 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 7°C: 5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves. 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$1,190–US$2,290 each
about US$1,190–US$2,290 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 USH, estimated from distance and season, changing at GRU, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$703–US$1,450 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$174–US$288 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$161–US$295 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,190–US$2,290 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Río Grande
2 min by car · 28 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Río Grande its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$67 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 26h 15m
About 26h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → USH, changing at São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governor André Franco Montoro International Airport (GRU), then 2h 30m by road
Flights ORD → USH on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.