Is it worth the trip?
25Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 5 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 561kJ
- Wind
- SSE 12 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 613kJ
- Wind
- SE 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 503kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 339kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 133kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 340kJ
- Wind
- S 10 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Mon 9 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 245, fair
- Tue 328, too small
- Wed 434, too small
- Thu 535, too small
- Fri 617, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 817, too small
- Mon 914, too small
- Tue 1011, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Dec–Feb2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 682kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 28, too small | 5 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 561kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 34, too small | 5 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 613kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 35, too small | 5 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 503kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 339kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 340kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft12 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:40 −0.4 mHigh 09:24 +0.3 mLow 15:43 −0.6 mHigh 22:30 +0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:04 −0.4 mHigh 10:57 +0.3 mLow 17:06 −0.5 mHigh 23:44 +0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:17 −0.5 mHigh 12:21 +0.4 mLow 18:22 −0.5 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
best Dec–Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Yacila on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Yacila
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (295°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (115°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–12 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 18°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Paita, 8.5 km away (about 15 min by car).
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$898–US$1,710 each
about US$898–US$1,710 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 CIX, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$395–US$831 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$268 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$181–US$342 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$80–US$134 |
| Total | about US$898–US$1,710 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Paita
15 min by car · 19 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Paita its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$60 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 19h 15m
About 19h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → CIX, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 4h 25m by road
Flights ORD → CIX on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.