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El Zonte Rivermouth
Surf spot · El Salvador
That date has passed, so this trip starts today.
Is it worth the trip?
75Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 85 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 500kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 82 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 393kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 87 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 387kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 339kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 245kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 151kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 114kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 385, good
- Wed 482, good
- Thu 587, good
- Fri 678, good
- Sat 747, fair
- Sun 847, fair
- Mon 948, fair
- Tue 1036, too small
- Wed 1123, too small
- Thu 1257, fair
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 Zonte Rivermouth 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 | 85, good | 4 ft12 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 500kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 82, good | 4 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 393kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 87, good | 4 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 387kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 78, good | 4 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 339kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 245kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 151kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 48, fair | 2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 114kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | offshorewind from the north, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 23, too small | 1 ft17 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 57, fair | 2 ft14 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 222kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 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 02:49 −0.7 mHigh 09:01 +0.7 mLow 15:18 −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
- Thu 5 NovLow 05:14 −0.7 mHigh 11:22 +0.7 mLow 17:30 −0.7 mHigh 23:51 +0.9 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 Wed 4 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 and its town
El Zonte Rivermouth 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- El Zonte 1.1 km away
- Atamis 2.2 km away
- Palmarcito 2.8 km away
- K59 3.6 km away
- Punta Coco 3.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About El Zonte Rivermouth
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (187°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (7°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 37). 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 Zonte, 0.5 km away (1 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 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
1 min by car · 28 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
About El Zonte its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in El Tunco on Booking.com
13 min by car · 76 places to stay
- Beds in Mizata on Booking.com
35 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 35m
About 9h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SAL, direct, then 1h 05m 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.