Is it worth the trip?
28Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (5 ft swell at 12 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 629kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 454kJ
- Wind
- SSE 14 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 550kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 446kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 271kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 208kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 409kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 235, too small
- Tue 321, too small
- Wed 430, too small
- Thu 530, too small
- Fri 623, too small
- Sat 719, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 913, too small
- Tue 1013, too small
- Wed 1119, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
El Cape does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 35, too small | 5 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 629kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 21, too small | 4 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 454kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 14 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 550kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 446kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 23, too small | 4 ft10 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 271kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft14 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 208kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 4 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 409kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 13, too small | 4 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 354kJ | wind from the south, 13 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, too small | 3 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 257kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 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 04:46 −0.2 mHigh 10:04 +0.1 mLow 16:18 −0.4 mHigh 23:15 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:06 −0.3 mHigh 11:44 +0.2 mLow 17:46 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:23 +0.5 mLow 07:07 −0.4 mHigh 13:05 +0.3 mLow 19:02 −0.3 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
El Cape on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Cape
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (296°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (116°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 17°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Puerto Malabrigo, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 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$899–US$1,710 each
about US$899–US$1,710 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 CIX, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$396–US$832 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$81–US$134 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$268 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$181–US$342 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$81–US$134 |
| Total | about US$899–US$1,710 |
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 5 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Puerto Malabrigo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Puémape on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 5 places to stay
About US$60 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 17h 05m
About 17h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → CIX, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 2h 15m by road
Flights ORD → CIX 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.