Is it worth the trip?
58Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 13 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 682kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 561kJ
- Wind
- SSE 12 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 613kJ
- Wind
- SE 10 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 503kJ
- Wind
- SE 8 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 339kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 298kJ
- Wind
- SSW 13 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 418kJ
- Wind
- SE 10 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 152, fair
- Mon 253, fair
- Tue 351, fair
- Wed 450, fair
- Thu 564, good
- Fri 665, good
- Sat 731, too small
- Sun 868, good
- Mon 933, too small
- Tue 1057, fair
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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Yacila does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 52, fair | 5 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 741kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 53, fair | 5 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 682kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 51, fair | 5 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 561kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 50, fair | 5 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 613kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 64, good | 5 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 503kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 65, good | 4 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 339kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 31, too small | 3 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 298kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 13 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 68, good | 4 ft13 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 418kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 57, fair | 4 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 181kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 29°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 NovLow 02:20 −0.4 mHigh 08:03 +0.4 mLow 14:27 −0.7 mHigh 21:14 +0.6 m
- 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
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 Mon 2 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 beginners: 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.