Staying Home Sucks, home

Rio Tabasara'

Surf spot · Panama

Is it worth the trip?

59Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 11 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 78 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
261kJ
Wind
SW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Tue 3 · 76 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
250kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 55 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
205kJ
Wind
NNE 3 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 51 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 ssoft
Energy
176kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 49 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
88kJ
Wind
ESE 1 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 41 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
96kJ
Wind
NNW 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Sun 8 · 21 out of 100

Swell
1 ft13 ssoft
Energy
50kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
29°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 181, good
  2. Mon 278, good
  3. Tue 376, good
  4. Wed 455, fair
  5. Thu 551, fair
  6. Fri 649, fair
  7. Sat 741, too small
  8. Sun 821, too small
  9. Mon 943, too small
  10. Tue 1051, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best May–Jul, Sep4 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Rio Tabasara', each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov81, good3 ft13 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)309kJwind from the east, 3 knots, offshore28°C
Mon 2Nov78, good3 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)261kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots28°C
Tue 3Nov76, good3 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)250kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore27°C
Wed 4Nov55, fair3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)205kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore25°C
Thu 5Nov51, fair2 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)176kJwind from the west, 4 knots28°C
Fri 6Nov49, fair2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)88kJwind from the east-south-east, 1 knot25°C
Sat 7Nov41, too small2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)96kJwind from the north-north-west, 2 knots29°C
Sun 8Nov21, too small1 ft13 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the west, 4 knots29°C
Mon 9Nov43, too small2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)121kJwind from the west, 2 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov51, fair2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)125kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore29°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 01:44 −1.2 mHigh 07:54 +1.3 mLow 14:15 −1.4 mHigh 20:37 +1.3 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:50 −1.1 mHigh 09:00 +1.2 mLow 15:21 −1.2 mHigh 21:47 +1.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:04 −1.0 mHigh 10:15 +1.0 mLow 16:32 −1.1 mHigh 22:59 +1.2 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

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.

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

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Rio Tabasara'

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SW (225°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (45°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.1 km out (1 in 213). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June, July and September, with about 4 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Las Lajas. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to DAV, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$301–US$630
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$74–US$127
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$147–US$248
Food7 days eating outabout US$167–US$315
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$127
Totalabout 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

Closest

Quebrada de Piedra

16 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$54/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Quebrada de Piedra · Booking.com

About Quebrada de Piedra its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Las Lajas, 28 km (about 50 min by car)

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 14h 55m

About 14h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → DAV, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 1h 55m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.