Cautivo
Surf spot · Ecuador
Is it worth the trip?
26Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (4 ft swell at 12 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 531kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 403kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 278kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 315kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft16 scrumbling
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft17 scrumbling
- Energy
- 100kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 scrumbling
- Energy
- 105kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 138, too small
- Mon 240, too small
- Tue 329, too small
- Wed 425, too small
- Thu 527, too small
- Fri 68, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 815, too small
- Mon 913, too small
- Tue 1011, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Cautivo does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 38, too small | 4 ft13 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 568kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 0 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 40, too small | 4 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 531kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 29, too small | 4 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 403kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 278kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 315kJ | offshorewind from the south, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft16 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft17 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | offshorewind from the south, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft14 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | wind from the east-north-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
- Sun 1 NovLow 01:58 −0.7 mHigh 08:00 +0.8 mLow 14:21 −0.9 mHigh 20:54 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:10 −0.6 mHigh 09:13 +0.6 mLow 15:33 −0.8 mHigh 22:06 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:29 −0.6 mHigh 10:34 +0.6 mLow 16:50 −0.7 mHigh 23:19 +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.
Map
the spot and its town
Cautivo 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
5 places
- Chulluipe 0.7 km away
- El Castillo 2.2 km away
- Capaes 3.7 km away
- Pico nerd 7.4 km away
- Ecuasal 7.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cautivo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (341°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (161°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 68). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 23°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Cautivo, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 24°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$791–US$1,490 each
about US$791–US$1,490 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 MDW to GYE, estimated from distance and season, changing at MIA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$368–US$764 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$134–US$221 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$154–US$281 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$791–US$1,490 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
1 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Cautivo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in La Libertad on Booking.com
4 min by car · 30 places to stay
- Beds in Santa Elena on Booking.com
7 min by car · 35 places to stay
About US$47 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 16h 15m
About 16h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GYE, changing at Miami International Airport (MIA), then 2h 15m by road
Flights MDW → GYE on your dates · Skyscanner
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.