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20241103 Playa Matanzas
Matanzas. Photo: Aeveraal, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Matanzas

Surf spot · Chile

Is it worth the trip?

21Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
909kJ
Wind
ENE 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 34 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
433kJ
Wind
SSW 6 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 34 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
264kJ
Wind
SSW 10 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 19 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
110kJ
Wind
SW 14 kn
Temp
16°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 ssoft
Energy
995kJ
Wind
SW 5 kn
Temp
19°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 ssoft
Energy
769kJ
Wind
NNW 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Mon 9 · 20 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
378kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
17°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 233, poor
  2. Tue 30, too big
  3. Wed 434, poor
  4. Thu 534, poor
  5. Fri 619, poor
  6. Sat 70, too big
  7. Sun 80, too big
  8. Mon 920, poor
  9. Tue 1011, too small
  10. Wed 110, too big

The spot in six facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best May–Jul2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Matanzas, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov33, poor4 ft15 smushy5 ft at break (est.)631kJwind from the west-south-west, 7 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov0, too big7 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)909kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots17°C
Wed 4Nov34, poor5 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)433kJwind from the south-south-west, 6 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov34, poor4 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)264kJwind from the south-south-west, 10 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov19, poor4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)110kJwind from the south-west, 14 knots16°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big8 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)995kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots19°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big8 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)769kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots17°C
Mon 9Nov20, poor4 ft12 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)378kJwind from the north, 4 knots17°C
Tue 10Nov11, too small2 ft13 smushy4 ft at break (est.)196kJwind from the west-south-west, 6 knots19°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big7 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)916kJwind from the south-south-west, 8 knots17°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 NovHigh 04:51 +0.6 mLow 12:04 −0.5 mHigh 18:15 +0.2 mLow 23:37 −0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:08 +0.6 mLow 13:06 −0.6 mHigh 19:24 +0.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 01:02 −0.3 mHigh 07:19 +0.6 mLow 13:58 −0.6 mHigh 20:18 +0.4 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Matanzas

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

The spot faces NW (307°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (127°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 800 m out (1 in 78). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in February, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 2 good days in 7; in October, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Navidad, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car).

Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,090–US$2,090 each

about US$1,090–US$2,090 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 SCL, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$570–US$1,180
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$81–US$134
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$195–US$322
Food7 days eating outabout US$174–US$329
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$127
Totalabout US$1,090–US$2,090

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

Where to stay: Navidad

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

Closest

Navidad

about 10 min by car · 12 places to stay

about US$74/nightcountry average

See 12 places to stay in Navidad · Booking.com

About Navidad its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$74 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 21h

About 21h door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SCL, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 2h 20m by road

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

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