El Faro
Surf spot · Ecuador
Is it worth the trip?
60Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 398kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 577kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 478kJ
- Wind
- S 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 smushy
- Energy
- 188kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 179kJ
- Wind
- SE 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 282kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 212kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 445, fair
- Thu 576, good
- Fri 642, too small
- Sat 749, fair
- Sun 866, good
- Mon 963, good
- Tue 1044, too small
- Wed 1162, good
- Thu 1282, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Feb–Mar6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
El Faro does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 4 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 398kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft12 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 577kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 76, good | 4 ft12 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 478kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft14 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 188kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 179kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 66, good | 3 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 282kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 63, good | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 212kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 114kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 62, good | 3 ft14 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 297kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 82, good | 4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 473kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 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
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:29 −0.4 mHigh 10:32 +0.4 mLow 16:44 −0.5 mHigh 23:15 +0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:43 −0.5 mHigh 11:49 +0.4 mLow 17:55 −0.5 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 00:17 +0.6 mLow 06:44 −0.6 mHigh 12:53 +0.5 mLow 18:55 −0.5 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 Feb–Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec2of 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 Faro 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Faro
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (180°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (0°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 85). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February and March, with about 6 good days in 7; in July, August and September, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Puerto Villamil, 1.9 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. 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).
Where to stay: Puerto Villamil
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 · 45 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Puerto Villamil its beds, food and every spot near it
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
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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.