El canal
Surf spot · Dominican Republic
Is it worth the trip?
19Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 105kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- W 9 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 215, too small
- Tue 320, too small
- Wed 427, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 614, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 815, too small
- Mon 919, too small
- Tue 1021, too small
- Wed 1119, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Nov2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | wind from the west, 9 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft6 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 21, too small | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | offshorewind from the south, 4 knots, offshore | 28°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 NovHigh 01:16 +0.2 mLow 07:08 −0.3 mHigh 13:54 +0.4 mLow 20:25 −0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:25 +0.2 mLow 08:21 −0.2 mHigh 14:53 +0.3 mLow 21:17 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:32 +0.3 mLow 09:36 −0.2 mHigh 15:50 +0.3 mLow 22:06 −0.2 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 intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 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
El canal 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El canal
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (5°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (185°). It is sheltered 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 11). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 26°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers 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 Sosúa, 4.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 4 dive sites.
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$617–US$1,150 each
about US$617–US$1,150 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 POP, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$537 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$34 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$121–US$195 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$134–US$242 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$617–US$1,150 |
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 10 min by car · 94 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Sosúa its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Cabarete on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 69 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 11h 35m
About 11h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → POP, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → POP 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.