Is it worth the trip?
68Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 631kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 505kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 395kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 326kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 274kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 204kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 98kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 168, good
- Mon 264, good
- Tue 369, good
- Wed 479, good
- Thu 570, good
- Fri 671, good
- Sat 757, fair
- Sun 834, too small
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 1030, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 68, good | 5 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 741kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 64, good | 5 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 631kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 69, good | 5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 505kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 79, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 395kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 70, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 326kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 71, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 274kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 204kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 30°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 NovHigh 07:11 +0.4 mLow 13:25 −0.1 mHigh 18:13 +0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:25 −0.3 mHigh 07:27 +0.4 mLow 13:36 −0.1 mHigh 18:57 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:05 −0.3 mHigh 07:43 +0.3 mLow 13:54 −0.2 mHigh 19:39 +0.2 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec4of 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 and its town
The Ranch 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
3 places
- La Saladita 14.4 km away
- La Boca 15.6 km away
- Troncones beachbreak 21.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Ranch
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (211°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (31°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 23). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 27°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 31°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is La Saladita.
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$824–US$1,510 each
about US$824–US$1,510 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 ZIH, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$261–US$543 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$154 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$295 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$375 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$824–US$1,510 |
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
25 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About La Saladita its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Troncones on Booking.com
38 min by car · 28 places to stay
Nearest beds: La Saladita, 15 km (about 25 min by car)
About US$67 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 9h 35m
About 9h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ZIH, direct, then 1h 15m by road
Flights ORD → ZIH on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.