Staying Home Sucks, home
Panamá-Playa
Los Santos, the wider area. Photo: Inzay20, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Madroño

Surf spot · Panama

Is it worth the trip?

71Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 11 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 68 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
440kJ
Wind
W 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 73 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
373kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 81 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
391kJ
Wind
SSE 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Fri 6 · 74 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
324kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 56 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
219kJ
Wind
SW 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 52 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
201kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 72 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
239kJ
Wind
E 2 kn
Temp
29°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 368, good
  2. Wed 473, good
  3. Thu 581, good
  4. Fri 674, good
  5. Sat 756, fair
  6. Sun 852, fair
  7. Mon 972, good
  8. Tue 1078, good
  9. Wed 1161, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best May–Jun6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Madroño does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Madroño, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov68, good4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)440kJwind from the west, 5 knots28°C
Wed 4Nov73, good4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)373kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots28°C
Thu 5Nov81, good4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)391kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots27°C
Fri 6Nov74, good4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)324kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore27°C
Sat 7Nov56, fair3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)219kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots27°C
Sun 8Nov52, fair3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)201kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov72, good3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)239kJwind from the east, 2 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov78, good3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)215kJwind from the north, 5 knots, offshore30°C
Wed 11Nov61, good3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)137kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore29°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 04:05 −1.0 mHigh 10:16 +1.1 mLow 16:32 −1.1 mHigh 23:00 +1.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:22 −1.0 mHigh 11:34 +1.1 mLow 17:44 −1.1 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 00:08 +1.3 mLow 06:31 −1.2 mHigh 12:43 +1.1 mLow 18:49 −1.1 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 beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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More surf near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Madroño

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

The spot faces S (172°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (352°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 84). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 26°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 6 good days in 7; in January and December, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Pedasí. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 28°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$765–US$1,450 each

about US$765–US$1,450 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 ORD to PTY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$302–US$631
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$74–US$127
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$148–US$248
Food7 days eating outabout US$168–US$315
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$127
Totalabout US$765–US$1,450

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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Canas

10 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$54/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Canas · Booking.com

About Canas its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Pedasí, 26 km (about 50 min by car)

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 13h 10m

About 13h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → PTY, direct, then 3h 50m by road

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

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.