Corto Circuito
Surf spot · Panama
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 443kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 359kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 448kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 395kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 212kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 176kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 276kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 246, fair
- Tue 337, too small
- Wed 429, too small
- Thu 537, too small
- Fri 629, too small
- Sat 718, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 930, too small
- Tue 1030, too small
- Wed 1125, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Apr, Dec6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 46, fair | 5 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 500kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 37, too small | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 443kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 29, too small | 4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 359kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 37, too small | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 448kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 29, too small | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 395kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 212kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft14 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 176kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 276kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 252kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 177kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 27°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 02:48 −1.1 mHigh 08:57 +1.1 mLow 15:17 −1.2 mHigh 21:44 +1.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:03 −1.0 mHigh 10:13 +1.0 mLow 16:30 −1.1 mHigh 22:57 +1.2 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:20 −1.0 mHigh 11:30 +1.0 mLow 17:42 −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.
Best time to go
best Apr, Dec
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec6of 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
Corto Circuito on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
2 places
- 411 (quatro-once) 5.1 km away
- Cambutal 8.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Corto Circuito
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 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 3). 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, 9.1 km away (about 20 min by car).
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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to PTY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$302–US$631 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$74–US$127 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$148–US$248 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$168–US$315 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$127 |
| Total | about 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: Cambutal
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 20 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
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
Flights ORD → PTY on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
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.