El Tunco
Surf spot · El Salvador
Is it worth the trip?
78Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Tue 3 · 85 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 440kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 84 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 283kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 86 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 343kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 283kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 205kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 116kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 284, good
- Tue 385, good
- Wed 484, good
- Thu 586, good
- Fri 681, good
- Sat 771, good
- Sun 842, too small
- Mon 948, fair
- Tue 1036, too small
- Wed 1124, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 30 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
El Tunco does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 84, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 450kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 85, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 440kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 84, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 283kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 86, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 343kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 81, good | 3 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 283kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 71, good | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 205kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 48, fair | 2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 24, too small | 1 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:39 −0.8 mHigh 07:53 +0.8 mLow 14:14 −0.8 mHigh 20:33 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:49 −0.7 mHigh 09:00 +0.7 mLow 15:19 −0.8 mHigh 21:41 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:03 −0.7 mHigh 10:12 +0.7 mLow 16:26 −0.7 mHigh 22:49 +0.8 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 intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec4of 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, its town, photos
El Tunco 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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Photos of El Tunco
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More surf near here
5 places
- Rio Grande - La Bocana 0.4 km away
- El Sunzal 1.1 km away
- San Blas 2.3 km away
- Palmarcito 3.6 km away
- Atamis 4.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Tunco
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (190°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (10°). 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 450 m out (1 in 45). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is El Tunco, 0.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots.
Water about 30°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$718–US$1,340 each
about US$718–US$1,340 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 SAL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$268–US$564 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$74–US$121 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$141–US$235 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$161–US$295 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$121 |
| Total | about US$718–US$1,340 |
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 · 76 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
About El Tunco its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in El Zonte on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 28 places to stay
- Beds in Mizata on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 5 places to stay
About US$54 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 9h 25m
About 9h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SAL, direct, then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → SAL 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.