Staying Home Sucks, home

Cambutal

Surf spot · Panama

Is it worth the trip?

70Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 11 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 71 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 shollow
Energy
478kJ
Wind
N 1 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 71 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 shollow
Energy
373kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 81 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 shollow
Energy
423kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Fri 6 · 72 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 shollow
Energy
360kJ
Wind
N 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 54 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 shollow
Energy
212kJ
Wind
WSW 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 31 out of 100

Swell
2 ft14 shollow
Energy
151kJ
Wind
SW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 75 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
264kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
29°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 371, good
  2. Wed 471, good
  3. Thu 581, good
  4. Fri 672, good
  5. Sat 754, fair
  6. Sun 831, too small
  7. Mon 975, good
  8. Tue 1077, good
  9. Wed 1167, good

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 28 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Apr, Dec6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Cambutal does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Cambutal, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov71, good5 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)478kJwind from the north, 1 knot, offshore28°C
Wed 4Nov71, good4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.)373kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots26°C
Thu 5Nov81, good4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)423kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots27°C
Fri 6Nov72, good4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.)360kJwind from the north, 2 knots, offshore27°C
Sat 7Nov54, fair3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.)212kJwind from the west-south-west, 5 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov31, too small2 ft14 shollow4 ft at break (est.)151kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov75, good3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)264kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov77, good3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)252kJwind from the north, 5 knots, offshore30°C
Wed 11Nov67, good3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.)170kJwind from the north, 2 knots, offshore26°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

  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:05 −1.0 mHigh 10:16 +1.0 mLow 16:32 −1.1 mHigh 23:00 +1.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:22 −1.0 mHigh 11:33 +1.0 mLow 17:44 −1.1 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 00:08 +1.3 mLow 06:31 −1.2 mHigh 12:43 +1.1 mLow 18:49 −1.1 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 and its town

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

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Cambutal

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 exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 4). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 27°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April and December, with about 6 good days in 7; in October, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cambutal, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 28°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$765–US$1,450 each

about US$765–US$1,450 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to PTY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$302–US$631
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$74–US$127
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$148–US$248
Food7 days eating outabout US$168–US$315
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$127
Totalabout US$765–US$1,450

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

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Closest

Cambutal

about 5 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$54/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Cambutal · Booking.com

About Cambutal its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$54 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 13h 40m

About 13h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → PTY, direct, then 4h 20m by road

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

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