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Flamenco beach
Culebrita Beach. Photo: Bea2017, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tortugas

Surf spot · Puerto Rico

Is it worth the trip?

24Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: too small (2 ft swell at 8 s), 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 22 out of 100

Swell
3 ft4 s
Energy
36kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
29°C

Tue 3 · 16 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 s
Energy
20kJ
Wind
ESE 10 kn
Temp
29°C

Wed 4 · 28 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 s
Energy
31kJ
Wind
SSE 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 30 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 s
Energy
37kJ
Wind
S 8 kn
Temp
29°C

Fri 6 · 16 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 s
Energy
18kJ
Wind
SW 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 25 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 s
Energy
30kJ
Wind
W 7 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 s
Energy
40kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
29°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 17, too small
  2. Mon 222, poor
  3. Tue 316, too small
  4. Wed 428, too small
  5. Thu 530, too small
  6. Fri 616, too small
  7. Sat 725, too small
  8. Sun 818, too small
  9. Mon 963, good
  10. Tue 1062, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Ntakes swell from the N
  • Offshore: Swind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best in Oct2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Tortugas, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov7, too small1 ft13 s2 ft at break (est.)32kJwind from the east, 14 knots30°C
Mon 2Nov22, poor3 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.)36kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots29°C
Tue 3Nov16, too small1 ft8 s2 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the east-south-east, 10 knots29°C
Wed 4Nov28, too small2 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.)31kJwind from the south-south-east, 6 knots, offshore28°C
Thu 5Nov30, too small2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)37kJwind from the south, 8 knots, offshore29°C
Fri 6Nov16, too small2 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.)18kJwind from the south-west, 6 knots, offshore28°C
Sat 7Nov25, too small2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)30kJwind from the west, 7 knots27°C
Sun 8Nov18, too small2 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the north, 7 knots29°C
Mon 9Nov63, good3 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.)128kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov62, good3 ft8 s4 ft at break (est.)96kJwind from the south-south-east, 6 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 NovHigh 01:01 +0.0 mLow 06:52 −0.2 mHigh 14:25 +0.3 mLow 21:23 −0.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 02:20 +0.0 mLow 08:06 −0.1 mHigh 15:21 +0.2 mLow 22:10 −0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 03:41 +0.1 mLow 09:30 −0.1 mHigh 16:17 +0.2 mLow 22:52 −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

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

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Tortugas

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

The spot faces N (10°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (190°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually October, with about 2 good days in 7; in June, July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Culebra, 7.5 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$1,030–US$1,880 each

about US$1,030–US$1,880 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 STT, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$281–US$590
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$74–US$121
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$275–US$456
Food7 days eating outabout US$308–US$576
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$1,030–US$1,880

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

Where to stay: Culebra

Closest

Culebra

13 min by car · 43 places to stay

about US$100/nightcountry average

See 43 places to stay in Culebra · Booking.com

About Culebra its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$100 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 25m

About 9h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → STT, direct, then 55 min by road

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