Santa Catalina
Surf spot · Panama
Is it worth the trip?
16Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 213kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 135kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 108kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 134kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 165kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 121, too small
- Mon 227, too small
- Tue 317, too small
- Wed 49, too small
- Thu 511, too small
- Fri 614, too small
- Sat 714, too small
- Sun 87, too small
- Mon 916, too small
- Tue 1029, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best May–Jul5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 156kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 213kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 135kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 9, too small | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 108kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft11 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 165kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft11 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft15 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 177kJ | 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 01:44 −1.2 mHigh 07:53 +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 15:20 −1.2 mHigh 21:46 +1.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:05 −1.0 mHigh 10:15 +1.1 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.
Best time to go
best May–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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, its town, photos
Santa Catalina on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Santa Catalina
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More surf near here
4 places
- Estero Beach 1.4 km away
- Punta Roca 2.8 km away
- Punta Brava 3.9 km away
- San Pedrillo 8.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Santa Catalina
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (216°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (36°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 49). 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 and July, with about 5 good days in 7; in January and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santa Catalina, 0.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 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 DAV, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, 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: Santa Catalina
1 min by car · 30 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
About Santa Catalina its beds, food and every spot near it
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 16h
About 16h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DAV, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 3h by road
Flights ORD → DAV on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.