Is it worth the trip?
38Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 5 ft swell at 11 s
Tue 3 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 557kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 447kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 454kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 147kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 589kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 483kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 413kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 235, too small
- Tue 331, too small
- Wed 431, too small
- Thu 541, poor
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 751, fair
- Sun 844, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1049, fair
- Wed 1150, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jul, Oct–Nov4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 35, too small | 4 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 398kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 31, too small | 4 ft15 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 557kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 31, too small | 4 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 447kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 41, poor | 6 ft8 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 454kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 147kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 51, fair | 5 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 589kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 44, too small | 5 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 483kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 4 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 413kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 49, fair | 5 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 598kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 50, fair | 5 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 715kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 22°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 04:24 +0.4 mLow 09:37 −0.1 mHigh 15:13 +0.6 mLow 22:15 −0.8 m
- 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
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
best Jul, Oct–Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 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
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Popotla 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
- Calafia 1.2 km away
- Mushrooms 1.2 km away
- Mother Theresas 3.9 km away
- Marias 4 km away
- Terasa'sTrailerPark 4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Popotla
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (235°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (55°). 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 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 16°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually July, October and November, with about 4 good days in 7; in March and April, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Playas de Rosarito, 9.4 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 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
about 15 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 Playas de Rosarito on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 33 places to stay
- Beds in Puerto Nuevo on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 8 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
About 7h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 55 min 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.