Is it worth the trip?
76Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 289kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 77 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 319kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 77 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 445kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 84 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 410kJ
- Wind
- WNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 235kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 222kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 271kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 379, good
- Wed 477, good
- Thu 577, good
- Fri 684, good
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 845, fair
- Mon 978, good
- Tue 1070, good
- Wed 1165, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Matapalo does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 79, good | 4 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 289kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 77, good | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 319kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 77, good | 4 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 445kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 84, good | 4 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 410kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 4 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 235kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 222kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 78, good | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 271kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 70, good | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 252kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 65, good | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 174kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 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
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:03 −0.9 mHigh 09:12 +0.9 mLow 15:31 −1.0 mHigh 21:55 +1.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:20 −0.9 mHigh 10:29 +0.9 mLow 16:42 −1.0 mHigh 23:03 +1.1 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 05:29 −1.1 mHigh 11:38 +1.0 mLow 17:46 −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.
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).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Matapalo 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Matapalo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (160°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (340°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 3). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). No town nearby. Nearest place to stay we found: Bosque del Cabo Rain Forest Lodge, 1 km. Nearest beds: Zancudo, 24 km (about 45 min by car). Nearest airport: Puerto Jimenez Airport (PJM), 17 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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$698–US$1,340 each
about US$698–US$1,340 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 ORD to DAV, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$302–US$631 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$161 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$208–US$389 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about US$698–US$1,340 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 24 km away
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
No town nearby
Nearest place to stay we found: Bosque del Cabo Rain Forest Lodge, 1 km. Nearest beds: Zancudo, 24 km (about 45 min by car). Nearest airport: Puerto Jimenez Airport (PJM), 17 km.
See places to stay near Zancudo, 24 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 16h 10m
About 16h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DAV, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 3h 10m by road
Flights ORD → DAV 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.