Is it worth the trip?
69Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 540kJ
- Wind
- SE 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft15 ssoft
- Energy
- 410kJ
- Wind
- SE 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 400kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 85 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 294kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 smushy
- Energy
- 145kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 314kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 286kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 356, fair
- Wed 468, good
- Thu 560, good
- Fri 685, good
- Sat 733, too small
- Sun 870, good
- Mon 973, good
- Tue 1060, good
- Wed 1145, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Feb–Mar5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
FAE 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 | 58, fair | 5 ft12 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 652kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 56, fair | 5 ft12 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 540kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 68, good | 3 ft15 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 410kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 60, good | 4 ft12 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 400kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 85, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 294kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft13 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 70, good | 4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 314kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 73, good | 3 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 286kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 60, good | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 177kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 45, fair | 2 ft15 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 214kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 knots | 28°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 03:13 −0.6 mHigh 09:15 +0.6 mLow 15:35 −0.8 mHigh 22:10 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:33 −0.6 mHigh 10:36 +0.6 mLow 16:52 −0.7 mHigh 23:22 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:48 −0.7 mHigh 11:55 +0.6 mLow 18:04 −0.7 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).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 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
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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
FAE 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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More surf near here
5 places
- FAE - 3 cruzes 1.6 km away
- La Chocolatera 2.3 km away
- Playero de miramar 3.9 km away
- Paco illescas 4.5 km away
- Pico nerd 4.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About FAE
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (228°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (48°). 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 23°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February and March, with about 5 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Salinas Santa Elena, 5.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 23°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$792–US$1,490 each
about US$792–US$1,490 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 MDW to GYE, estimated from distance and season, changing at MIA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$369–US$765 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$134–US$221 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$154–US$282 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$792–US$1,490 |
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 10 min by car · 71 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Salinas Santa Elena its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Jose Luis Tamayo on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 33 places to stay
- Beds in La Libertad on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 30 places to stay
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: about 16h 20m
About 16h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GYE, changing at Miami International Airport (MIA), then 2h 25m by road
Flights MDW → GYE 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.