Staying Home Sucks, home
Playa Punta Rucia, Puerto Plata Province
Punta Rucia. Photo: Man77, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Punta Rucia

Surf spot · Dominican Republic

Is it worth the trip?

13Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: too small (3 ft swell at 7 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 9 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
61kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 20 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
81kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 11 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
44kJ
Wind
SSW 5 kn
Temp
27°C

Fri 6 · 9 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
45kJ
Wind
SW 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 6 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
20kJ
Wind
SSW 7 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 10 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 smushy
Energy
39kJ
Wind
NNW 1 kn
Temp
27°C

Mon 9 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
70kJ
Wind
ENE 6 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 212, too small
  2. Tue 39, too small
  3. Wed 420, too small
  4. Thu 511, too small
  5. Fri 69, too small
  6. Sat 76, too small
  7. Sun 810, too small
  8. Mon 915, too small
  9. Tue 109, too small
  10. Wed 1112, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Punta Rucia, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov12, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)88kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots29°C
Tue 3Nov9, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)61kJwind from the south, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 4Nov20, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)81kJwind from the south, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Thu 5Nov11, too small2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)44kJwind from the south-south-west, 5 knots27°C
Fri 6Nov9, too small2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)45kJwind from the south-west, 5 knots28°C
Sat 7Nov6, too small2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the south-south-west, 7 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov10, too small2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the north-north-west, 1 knot27°C
Mon 9Nov15, too small3 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)70kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov9, too small3 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots, offshore27°C
Wed 11Nov12, too small2 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.)48kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots, offshore27°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 01:17 +0.2 mLow 07:09 −0.2 mHigh 13:54 +0.4 mLow 20:25 −0.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:27 +0.2 mLow 08:24 −0.2 mHigh 14:53 +0.3 mLow 21:18 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:34 +0.3 mLow 09:39 −0.2 mHigh 15:51 +0.3 mLow 22:07 −0.2 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 experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Punta Rucia

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

The spot faces NW (322°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (142°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.6 km out (1 in 256). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Punta Rucia, 0 km away (about 5 min by car).

Water about 29°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$644–US$1,170 each

about US$644–US$1,170 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 ORD to PLS, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$242–US$503
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$60–US$94
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$121–US$195
Food7 days eating outabout US$134–US$242
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$87–US$141
Totalabout US$644–US$1,170

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

Where to stay: 2 towns

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

Closest

Punta Rucia

about 5 min by car · 13 places to stay

about US$47/nightcountry average

See 13 places to stay in Punta Rucia · Booking.com

About Punta Rucia its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$47 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 12h 05m

About 12h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → PLS, direct, then 4h 30m 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.