Is it worth the trip?
71Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Tue 3 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 471kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 33°C
Wed 4 · 83 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 328kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Thu 5 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 413kJ
- Wind
- N 1 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 323kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Sat 7 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 195kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Sun 8 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 ssoft
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 33°C
Mon 9 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 173kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 33°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 262, good
- Tue 374, good
- Wed 483, good
- Thu 581, good
- Fri 679, good
- Sat 764, good
- Sun 818, too small
- Mon 947, fair
- Tue 1043, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 30 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Jul–Aug, Oct–Nov6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Zipacate does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 62, good | 5 ft12 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 693kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 34°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 74, good | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 471kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 33°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 83, good | 4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 328kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 31°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 81, good | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 413kJ | offshorewind from the north, 1 knot, offshore | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 79, good | 4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 323kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 31°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 64, good | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 195kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 31°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft15 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 33°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 47, fair | 2 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 33°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 33°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 01:36 −0.7 mHigh 07:53 +0.8 mLow 14:12 −0.7 mHigh 20:30 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:44 −0.7 mHigh 08:59 +0.7 mLow 15:15 −0.7 mHigh 21:38 +0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:58 −0.6 mHigh 10:11 +0.6 mLow 16:22 −0.6 mHigh 22:46 +0.8 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 Jul–Aug, Oct–Nov
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
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 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
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 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
Zipacate 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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More surf near here
1 place
- El Paredon 6.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Zipacate
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (186°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (6°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 159). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually July, August, October and November, with about 6 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is El Paredon Buena Vista, 6.9 km away (about 15 min by car).
Water about 30°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$871–US$1,610 each
about US$871–US$1,610 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 GUA, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$261–US$549 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$871–US$1,610 |
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
12 min by car · 3 places to stay
About El Paredon Buena Vista its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in El Paredón on Booking.com
14 min by car · 16 places to stay
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 10h 10m
About 10h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → GUA, direct, then 2h by road
Flights ORD → GUA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.