Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 5 ft swell at 11 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 318kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 277kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 429kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 147kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 586kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 411kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 123kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 332, too small
- Wed 430, too small
- Thu 533, too small
- Fri 623, too small
- Sat 753, fair
- Sun 839, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1053, fair
- Wed 1150, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft12 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 318kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 277kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 33, too small | 6 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 429kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 23, too small | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 147kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 53, fair | 5 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 586kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 39, too small | 4 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 411kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 123kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 53, fair | 5 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 596kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 1 knot | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 50, fair | 5 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 511kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 23°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 NovHigh 05:03 +0.6 mLow 10:53 −0.3 mHigh 16:36 +0.5 mLow 23:05 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:38 +0.7 mLow 11:49 −0.5 mHigh 17:42 +0.6 mLow 23:47 −0.7 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 06:10 +0.8 mLow 12:36 −0.7 mHigh 18:37 +0.5 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).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Las Gaviotas on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Raul's 1.5 km away
- K-38 2.2 km away
- Terracitas 2.3 km away
- Marias 2.8 km away
- Mother Theresas 2.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Las Gaviotas
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (221°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (41°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 39). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 16°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Las Gaviotas, 0 km away (1 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.
Water about 18°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$812–US$1,480 each
about US$812–US$1,480 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 SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$517 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$154 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$295 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$376 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$812–US$1,480 |
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 · 10 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Las Gaviotas its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Puerto Nuevo on Booking.com
5 min by car · 8 places to stay
- Beds in Primo Tapia on Booking.com
7 min by car · 11 places to stay
About US$67 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 7h 20m
About 7h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → SAN 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.