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San Mateo
Surf spot · Ecuador
Is it worth the trip?
53Fair 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 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 367kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 342kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 303kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 219kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft16 shollow
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 112kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 278, good
- Tue 368, good
- Wed 446, fair
- Thu 562, good
- Fri 647, fair
- Sat 726, too small
- Sun 835, too small
- Mon 933, too small
- Tue 1037, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 25 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 4 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 413kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 68, good | 4 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 367kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 342kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 62, good | 3 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 303kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 219kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 26, too small | 1 ft16 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft14 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | wind from the west, 2 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:02 −0.7 mHigh 09:08 +0.8 mLow 15:27 −0.9 mHigh 21:59 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:20 −0.7 mHigh 10:27 +0.7 mLow 16:42 −0.8 mHigh 23:11 +0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:36 −0.8 mHigh 11:44 +0.8 mLow 17:55 −0.8 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
San Mateo 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
2 places
- Manta - El Escondido 10 km away
- El Murcielago 10.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About San Mateo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (340°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (160°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 24°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Manta.
Water about 25°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$737–US$1,390 each
about US$737–US$1,390 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 MEC, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$362–US$750 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$134–US$221 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$154–US$281 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$737–US$1,390 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 20 min by car · 75 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Manta its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in San Lorenzo on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 4 places to stay
Nearest beds: Manta, 11 km (about 20 min by car)
About US$47 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 25m
About 14h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MEC, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → MEC on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.