Staying Home Sucks, home

The Finca

Surf spot · Nicaragua

Is it worth the trip?

47Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 62 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
272kJ
Wind
NNE 3 kn
Temp
29°C

Wed 4 · 62 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
238kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 33 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 ssoft
Energy
139kJ
Wind
SSW 8 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 50 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
187kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 35 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
136kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 18 out of 100

Swell
1 ft14 ssoft
Energy
52kJ
Wind
NNE 4 kn
Temp
29°C

Mon 9 · 26 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
85kJ
Wind
NNW 3 kn
Temp
29°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 270, good
  2. Tue 362, good
  3. Wed 462, good
  4. Thu 533, too small
  5. Fri 650, fair
  6. Sat 735, too small
  7. Sun 818, too small
  8. Mon 926, too small
  9. Tue 1011, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 3–15 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °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 The Finca, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov70, good4 ft12 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)328kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots32°C
Tue 3Nov62, good4 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)272kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots29°C
Wed 4Nov62, good3 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)238kJwind from the east, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Thu 5Nov33, too small2 ft13 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)139kJwind from the south-south-west, 8 knots28°C
Fri 6Nov50, fair3 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)187kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots28°C
Sat 7Nov35, too small2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)136kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov18, too small1 ft14 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)52kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots29°C
Mon 9Nov26, too small2 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)85kJwind from the north-north-west, 3 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov11, too small1 ft15 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)21kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots30°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 01:43 −1.0 mHigh 08:00 +1.1 mLow 14:19 −1.1 mHigh 20:42 +1.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:53 −0.9 mHigh 09:09 +0.9 mLow 15:25 −1.0 mHigh 21:52 +1.0 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:08 −0.9 mHigh 10:23 +0.9 mLow 16:33 −0.9 mHigh 23:01 +1.1 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

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.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About The Finca

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

The spot faces NW (298°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (118°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.2 km out (1 in 217). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 31°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is El Rosario Chinandega Department.

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$623–US$1,170 each

about US$623–US$1,170 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 SAL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$268–US$563
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$623–US$1,170

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: El Rosario Chinandega Department

Nearest town: El Rosario Chinandega Department, 3 km (about 5 min by car)

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 13h 10m

About 13h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → SAL, direct, then 4h 40m by road

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