Staying Home Sucks, home

Pavones

Surf spot · Costa Rica

Is it worth the trip?

23Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

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

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 28 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
253kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
26°C

Wed 4 · 18 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
176kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 30 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 smushy
Energy
474kJ
Wind
W 8 kn
Temp
27°C

Fri 6 · 31 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
396kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 14 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
79kJ
Wind
NE 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 10 out of 100

Swell
2 ft14 smushy
Energy
112kJ
Wind
SW 8 kn
Temp
26°C

Mon 9 · 10 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
48kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
27°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 328, too small
  2. Wed 418, too small
  3. Thu 530, too small
  4. Fri 631, too small
  5. Sat 714, too small
  6. Sun 810, too small
  7. Mon 910, too small
  8. Tue 109, too small
  9. Wed 1110, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Expertwho it suits
  • Works 2–7 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Pavones, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov28, too small3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)253kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore26°C
Wed 4Nov18, too small3 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)176kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots26°C
Thu 5Nov30, too small4 ft12 smushy5 ft at break (est.)474kJwind from the west, 8 knots27°C
Fri 6Nov31, too small4 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)396kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov14, too small2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)79kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore25°C
Sun 8Nov10, too small2 ft14 smushy3 ft at break (est.)112kJwind from the south-west, 8 knots26°C
Mon 9Nov10, too small1 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)48kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots27°C
Tue 10Nov9, too small1 ft12 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)38kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots26°C
Wed 11Nov10, too small1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.)50kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots26°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 09:11 +0.9 mLow 15:31 −1.0 mHigh 21:54 +1.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:20 −0.9 mHigh 10:29 +0.9 mLow 16:43 −1.0 mHigh 23:03 +1.1 m
  • Thu 5 NovLow 05:29 −1.0 mHigh 11:39 +0.9 mLow 17:47 −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 beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

Surf spot

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About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Pavones

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

The spot faces W (275°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (95°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 53). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 beds: Zancudo, 16 km (about 30 min by car). Nearest airport: Puerto Jimenez Airport (PJM), 24 km.

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to DAV, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$302–US$631
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$94–US$161
Food7 days eating outabout US$208–US$389
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout 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 16 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 beds: Zancudo, 16 km (about 30 min by car). Nearest airport: Puerto Jimenez Airport (PJM), 24 km.

See places to stay near Zancudo, 16 km away · Booking.com

Getting there: about 15h 40m

About 15h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → DAV, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 2h 40m 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.