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Destruccion en plaza de armas
Arica, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: LuxoDresden, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

El Toro viejo

Surf spot · Chile

Is it worth the trip?

39Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 7 ft swell at 10 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 27 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 ssoft
Energy
554kJ
Wind
SSE 1 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 43 out of 100

Swell
6 ft12 ssoft
Energy
1,026kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 35 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
563kJ
Wind
SSW 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 30 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
386kJ
Wind
W 3 kn
Temp
22°C

Sat 7 · 35 out of 100

Swell
5 ft13 ssoft
Energy
734kJ
Wind
WSW 1 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 52 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
888kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
22°C

Mon 9 · 34 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 ssoft
Energy
481kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
22°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 245, fair
  2. Tue 327, too small
  3. Wed 443, poor
  4. Thu 535, too small
  5. Fri 630, too small
  6. Sat 735, too small
  7. Sun 852, fair
  8. Mon 934, too small
  9. Tue 1020, too small
  10. Wed 1129, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Jan–Feb3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at El Toro viejo, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov45, fair6 ft11 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)953kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots22°C
Tue 3Nov27, too small5 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)554kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot22°C
Wed 4Nov43, poor6 ft12 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)1,026kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots22°C
Thu 5Nov35, too small6 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)563kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots22°C
Fri 6Nov30, too small5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)386kJwind from the west, 3 knots22°C
Sat 7Nov35, too small5 ft13 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)734kJwind from the west-south-west, 1 knot22°C
Sun 8Nov52, fair7 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)888kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots22°C
Mon 9Nov34, too small6 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)481kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov20, too small5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)355kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots22°C
Wed 11Nov29, too small4 ft13 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)454kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots23°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 03:35 +0.6 mLow 10:50 −0.4 mHigh 16:53 +0.1 mLow 22:00 −0.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:45 +0.5 mLow 11:48 −0.5 mHigh 18:02 +0.2 mLow 23:27 −0.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:51 +0.5 mLow 12:37 −0.5 mHigh 18:58 +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

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

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About El Toro viejo

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (259°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (79°). 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 600 m out (1 in 59). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 17°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and February, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Arica, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 18°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).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,000–US$1,910 each

about US$1,000–US$1,910 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to TCQ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and LIM, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$476–US$993
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$81–US$134
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$195–US$322
Food7 days eating outabout US$174–US$329
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$127
Totalabout US$1,000–US$1,910

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Arica

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Closest

Arica

about 5 min by car · 75 places to stay

about US$74/nightcountry average

See 75 places to stay in Arica · Booking.com

About Arica its beds, food and every spot near it

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 21h 05m

About 21h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → TCQ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM), then 1h 10m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

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