Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- N 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 248, fair
- Tue 359, fair
- Wed 447, fair
- Thu 527, too small
- Fri 617, too small
- Sat 75, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 95, too small
- Tue 1012, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft4 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 59, fair | 3 ft5 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft5 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft5 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 5, too small | under 1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 26°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 00:28 −0.1 mHigh 16:38 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 00:28 −0.1 mHigh 07:46 +0.0 mLow 10:39 +0.0 mHigh 17:11 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:30 −0.0 mHigh 08:00 +0.1 mLow 12:36 +0.0 mHigh 17:17 +0.1 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.
Map
the spot and its town
San Rafael 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 San Rafael
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (125°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (305°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 4). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Paraíso, 6.8 km away (about 15 min by car).
Water about 29°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$670–US$1,230 each
about US$670–US$1,230 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 SDQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$268–US$556 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$94 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$121–US$194 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$134–US$241 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$670–US$1,230 |
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 · 3 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Baoruco its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Paraíso on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 9 places to stay
- Beds in Los Patos on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 1 place to stay
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 30m
About 14h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SDQ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 3h 10m by road
Flights MDW → SDQ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.