Is it worth the trip?
86Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 2 ft swell at 13 s
Tue 3 · 86 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- N 1 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 84 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 90 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 86 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 86 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 104kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Mon 9 · 85 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 32°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 287, good
- Tue 384, good
- Wed 487, good
- Thu 590, good
- Fri 680, good
- Sat 786, good
- Sun 880, good
- Mon 988, good
- Tue 1081, good
- Wed 1181, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–5 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
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 | 87, good | 2 ft13 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 84, good | 2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the north, 1 knot | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 87, good | 2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 90, good | 2 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 80, good | 2 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 86, good | 2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 80, good | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 88, good | 2 ft13 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 81, good | 2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 108kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 81, good | 2 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 30°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 01:45 −0.9 mHigh 07:57 +1.0 mLow 14:15 −1.0 mHigh 20:40 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:58 −0.9 mHigh 09:10 +0.9 mLow 15:26 −0.9 mHigh 21:52 +1.0 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:13 −0.9 mHigh 10:26 +0.9 mLow 16:36 −0.9 mHigh 23:00 +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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Dona ana 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- Boca Barranca 1.4 km away
- El Hoyo 4.8 km away
- Puerto Caldera 5.3 km away
- El ollo 5.5 km away
- Corralillo 6.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Dona ana
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (221°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (41°). It is exposed 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 1.5 km out (1 in 149). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is El Roble, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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$879–US$1,630 each
about US$879–US$1,630 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 SJO, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$295–US$611 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$161 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$188–US$315 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$208–US$389 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about US$879–US$1,630 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 22 places to stay
about US$74/nightcountry average
About El Roble its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Barranca on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 6 places to stay
- Beds in Caldera on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 9 places to stay
About US$74 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 11h 05m
About 11h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SJO, direct, then 2h 05m by road
Flights ORD → SJO 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.