Staying Home Sucks, home
Barco en Puerto Sandino
Near Freight Trains. Photo: Erosnica, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Freight Trains

Surf spot · Nicaragua

Is it worth the trip?

76Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 12 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 67 out of 100

Swell
5 ft12 ssoft
Energy
620kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
32°C

Wed 4 · 75 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
315kJ
Wind
SSW 2 kn
Temp
30°C

Thu 5 · 85 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
514kJ
Wind
ESE 6 kn
Temp
27°C

Fri 6 · 94 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
410kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
30°C

Sat 7 · 68 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
236kJ
Wind
NE 3 kn
Temp
29°C

Sun 8 · 48 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 ssoft
Energy
138kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
31°C

Mon 9 · 62 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
208kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
31°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 272, good
  2. Tue 367, good
  3. Wed 475, good
  4. Thu 585, good
  5. Fri 694, good
  6. Sat 768, good
  7. Sun 848, fair
  8. Mon 962, good
  9. Tue 1055, fair
  10. Wed 1127, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Apr, Aug7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Freight Trains, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov72, good5 ft13 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)830kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore36°C
Tue 3Nov67, good5 ft12 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)620kJwind from the east, 3 knots, offshore32°C
Wed 4Nov75, good4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)315kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots30°C
Thu 5Nov85, good4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)514kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore27°C
Fri 6Nov94, good4 ft12 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)410kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore30°C
Sat 7Nov68, good3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)236kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore29°C
Sun 8Nov48, fair2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)138kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore31°C
Mon 9Nov62, good3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)208kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore31°C
Tue 10Nov55, fair3 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)174kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore32°C
Wed 11Nov27, too small1 ft13 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)53kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore32°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 01:40 −0.8 mHigh 07:53 +0.9 mLow 14:15 −0.9 mHigh 20:36 +0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:52 −0.8 mHigh 09:03 +0.8 mLow 15:22 −0.8 mHigh 21:45 +0.9 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:07 −0.8 mHigh 10:17 +0.8 mLow 16:30 −0.8 mHigh 22:53 +1.0 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 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

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Freight Trains

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

The spot faces SW (242°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (62°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.5 km out (1 in 149). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 27°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April and August, with about 7 good days in 7; in December, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Puerto Sandino, 1.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

Water about 29°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$631–US$1,190 each

about US$631–US$1,190 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 MGA, estimated from distance and season, changing at MIA, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$275–US$577
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$60–US$94
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$114–US$188
Food7 days eating outabout US$127–US$235
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$54–US$94
Totalabout US$631–US$1,190

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

Where to stay: 2 towns

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Closest

Puerto Sandino

about 5 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$40/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Puerto Sandino · Booking.com

About Puerto Sandino its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$40 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 14h 05m

About 14h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → MGA, changing at Miami International Airport (MIA), then 2h 05m by road

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

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