Ballenas
Surf spot · Puerto Rico
Is it worth the trip?
48Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 2 ft swell at 4 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Wed 4 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Thu 5 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Fri 6 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- NNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- N 1 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Mon 9 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 234, poor
- Tue 345, fair
- Wed 465, good
- Thu 571, good
- Fri 647, fair
- Sat 727, too small
- Sun 815, too small
- Mon 99, too small
- Tue 108, too small
- Wed 1147, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–5 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Nov2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for beginners | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 34, poor | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 33°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 32°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 65, good | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 31°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 71, good | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 31°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 47, fair | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 1 knot, offshore | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the north, 1 knot, offshore | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, too small | under 1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | under 1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 47, fair | 1 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:25 −0.1 mHigh 17:02 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:27 −0.1 mHigh 17:18 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 02:42 −0.0 mHigh 14:31 +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.
Best time to go
best in Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Ballenas 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
3 places
- Sal del Diablo 2.9 km away
- La Santa 3.1 km away
- Punta de Brea 7.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ballenas
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (164°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (344°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.2 km out (1 in 120). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best month is usually November, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Guánica, 7.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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$1,080–US$1,980 each
about US$1,080–US$1,980 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SJU, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$275–US$577 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$275–US$456 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$309–US$577 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,080–US$1,980 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 15 min by car · 6 places to stay
about US$101/nightcountry average
About Guánica its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Guayanilla on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 10 places to stay
About US$101 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 10h 30m
About 10h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SJU, direct, then 2h 15m by road
Flights MDW → SJU on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.