Staying Home Sucks, home
CAMP ALPHA-CUBAN REFUGEE CAMP-CUBAN EXODUS 1994. GITMO BAY CUBA. - panoramio
Windmill Beach. Photo: Ivan Curra, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Windmill Beach

Surf spot · Cuba

Is it worth the trip?

14Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: too small (2 ft swell at 5 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 24 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 shollow
Energy
10kJ
Wind
ESE 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Tue 3 · 18 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 shollow
Energy
8kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 14 out of 100

Swell
1 ft5 shollow
Energy
5kJ
Wind
N 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft4 shollow
Energy
3kJ
Wind
NNW 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Fri 6 · 4 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft4 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
NNW 8 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 3 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft3 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 10 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 shollow
Energy
2kJ
Wind
NNW 9 kn
Temp
29°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 121, too small
  2. Mon 224, too small
  3. Tue 318, too small
  4. Wed 414, too small
  5. Thu 59, too small
  6. Fri 64, too small
  7. Sat 73, too small
  8. Sun 810, too small
  9. Mon 98, too small
  10. Tue 107, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Windmill Beach, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov21, too small3 ft4 shollow1 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the north, 8 knots, offshore29°C
Mon 2Nov24, too small2 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.)10kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots28°C
Tue 3Nov18, too small1 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the north, 5 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 4Nov14, too small1 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the north, 3 knots, offshore28°C
Thu 5Nov9, too small1 ft4 shollow1 ft at break (est.)3kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore27°C
Fri 6Nov4, too smallunder 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore28°C
Sat 7Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the north, 8 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov10, too small1 ft3 shollow1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore29°C
Mon 9Nov8, too small1 ft3 shollow1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the north, 6 knots, offshore28°C
Tue 10Nov7, too small1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the north, 7 knots, offshore28°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 01:05 +0.1 mLow 07:01 −0.1 mHigh 14:18 +0.2 mLow 21:08 −0.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 02:37 +0.1 mLow 08:25 −0.1 mHigh 15:22 +0.2 mLow 22:05 −0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 03:59 +0.1 mLow 09:50 −0.1 mHigh 16:19 +0.2 mLow 22:53 −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, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Windmill Beach

Guantanamo Bay Coast - panoramio
Photo: Ivan Curra, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
ISS012-E-16790 - View of Cuba--Guantanamo Bay
Near Windmill Beach. Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
ISS012-E-16791 - View of Cuba--Guantanamo Bay, Boquerón
Near Windmill Beach. Photo: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Windmill Beach

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

The spot faces S (173°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (353°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.

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$851–US$1,560 each

about US$851–US$1,560 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 MDW to SCU, estimated from distance and season, changing at MIA, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$241–US$502
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$100–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$201–US$328
Food7 days eating outabout US$221–US$415
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$851–US$1,560

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

Where to stay: Naval Station Guantanamo Bay

Nearest town: Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, 4 km (about 10 min by car)

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 20m

About 12h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SCU, changing at Miami International Airport (MIA), then 1h 40m by road

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