Punta Brava
Surf spot · Panama
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 127kJ
- Wind
- SW 0 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- N 1 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 189kJ
- Wind
- W 11 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 175kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 111kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 scrumbling
- Energy
- 94kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 261, good
- Tue 337, too small
- Wed 443, too small
- Thu 531, poor
- Fri 643, poor
- Sat 735, too small
- Sun 820, too small
- Mon 935, too small
- Tue 1056, fair
- Wed 1156, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
- Best May–Jul4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Punta Brava does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 61, good | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 219kJ | wind from the east, 1 knot | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft13 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 127kJ | wind from the south-west, 0 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 43, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the north, 1 knot | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 31, poor | 3 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 189kJ | wind from the west, 11 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 175kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 111kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 94kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 123kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 6 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:50 −1.1 mHigh 09:00 +1.2 mLow 15:20 −1.2 mHigh 21:46 +1.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:05 −1.0 mHigh 10:15 +1.1 mLow 16:32 −1.1 mHigh 22:59 +1.2 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:21 −1.0 mHigh 11:31 +1.0 mLow 17:44 −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.
Best time to go
best May–Jul
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 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
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Punta Brava 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
4 places
- Estero Beach 2.5 km away
- Santa Catalina 3.9 km away
- Punta Roca 6.4 km away
- San Pedrillo 11.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Punta Brava
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (226°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (46°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 47). 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 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 4 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Santa Catalina, 4.1 km away (about 10 min by car). 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$764–US$1,450 each
about US$764–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 30 October 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$301–US$630 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$74–US$127 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$147–US$248 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$167–US$315 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$127 |
| Total | about US$764–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: Santa Catalina
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 30 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
About Santa Catalina its beds, food and every spot near it
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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 16h
About 16h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DAV, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 3h 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.