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El Zonte Rivermouth
Surf spot · El Salvador
Is it worth the trip?
74Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 482kJ
- Wind
- WNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 82 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 254kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 82 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 349kJ
- Wind
- NE 1 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 283kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 201kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 127kJ
- 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 276, good
- Tue 380, good
- Wed 482, good
- Thu 582, good
- Fri 679, good
- Sat 766, good
- Sun 840, too small
- Mon 949, fair
- Tue 1039, too small
- Wed 1123, 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.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 76, good | 5 ft12 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 551kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 80, good | 4 ft12 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 482kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 1 knot | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 82, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 254kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 82, good | 4 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 349kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 79, good | 3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 283kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 66, good | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 201kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 49, fair | 2 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 127kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 23, too small | 1 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 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 20:32 +0.8 m
- 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
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 and its town
El Zonte Rivermouth 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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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 (about 5 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
about 5 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
about 15 min by car · 76 places to stay
- Beds in Mizata on Booking.com
about 30 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.