Staying Home Sucks, home

Santana

Surf spot · Nicaragua

Is it worth the trip?

74Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 12 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 78 out of 100

Swell
5 ft12 shollow
Energy
651kJ
Wind
ENE 15 kn
Temp
30°C

Tue 3 · 75 out of 100

Swell
5 ft12 shollow
Energy
589kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
30°C

Wed 4 · 73 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 shollow
Energy
492kJ
Wind
ENE 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 92 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 shollow
Energy
416kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
27°C

Fri 6 · 77 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 shollow
Energy
257kJ
Wind
ENE 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 48 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
151kJ
Wind
E 7 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 25 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 shollow
Energy
80kJ
Wind
ENE 8 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 375, good
  4. Wed 473, good
  5. Thu 592, good
  6. Fri 677, good
  7. Sat 748, fair
  8. Sun 825, too small
  9. Mon 947, fair
  10. Tue 1058, fair

The spot in five 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

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Santana, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov81, good5 ft13 shollow9 ft at break (est.)886kJwind from the north-east, 14 knots, offshore31°C
Mon 2Nov78, good5 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.)651kJwind from the east-north-east, 15 knots, offshore30°C
Tue 3Nov75, good5 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.)589kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore30°C
Wed 4Nov73, good5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.)492kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore28°C
Thu 5Nov92, good4 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.)416kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore27°C
Fri 6Nov77, good3 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)257kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore28°C
Sat 7Nov48, fair2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)151kJwind from the east, 7 knots, offshore27°C
Sun 8Nov25, too small2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.)80kJwind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore29°C
Mon 9Nov47, fair2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.)125kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore29°C
Tue 10Nov58, fair2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.)130kJwind from the east-north-east, 10 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 00:37 −0.9 mHigh 06:50 +1.1 mLow 13:13 −1.0 mHigh 19:32 +0.9 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 01:41 −0.8 mHigh 07:52 +0.9 mLow 14:14 −0.9 mHigh 20:37 +0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:53 −0.8 mHigh 09:03 +0.8 mLow 15:21 −0.8 mHigh 21:46 +0.9 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

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Santana

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

The spot faces SW (224°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (44°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 25°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is El Limon, 2.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports 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$643–US$1,210 each

about US$643–US$1,210 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 LIR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$288–US$596
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$60–US$94
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$114–US$188
Food7 days eating outabout US$127–US$234
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$54–US$94
Totalabout US$643–US$1,210

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

El Limon

4 min by car · 18 places to stay

about US$40/nightcountry average

See 18 places to stay in El Limon · Booking.com

About El Limon its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$40 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 12h 15m

About 12h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIR, direct, then 3h 15m by road

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