Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 3 ft swell at 14 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Wed 4 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 739kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 627kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 298kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 977kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft14 ssoft
- Energy
- 361kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 10 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,016kJ
- Wind
- SW 1 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 366, good
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 660, good
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 89, too small
- Mon 971, good
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 110, too big
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 in Nov4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Punta San Jose 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 | 66, good | 4 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 292kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 5 ft13 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 739kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 627kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 60, good | 4 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 298kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 977kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft12 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 71, good | 3 ft14 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 361kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 1,016kJ | wind from the south-west, 1 knot | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 863kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 24°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 NovHigh 04:57 +0.5 mLow 10:46 −0.3 mHigh 16:29 +0.5 mLow 22:59 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:32 +0.7 mLow 11:42 −0.5 mHigh 17:35 +0.5 mLow 23:41 −0.7 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 06:03 +0.8 mLow 12:29 −0.7 mHigh 18:30 +0.5 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 in 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
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Wed 4 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
Punta San Jose 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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More surf near here
4 places
- stack's 49 km away
- staks 49 km away
- 3 emes 49.8 km away
- San Miguel Ensenada 51.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Punta San Jose
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (223°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (43°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 95). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in March, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually November, with about 4 good days in 7; in March, April and May, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ensenada.
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: Ensenada
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
1h 49m by car · 91 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Ensenada its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Ensenada, 44 km (1h 49m by car)
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 9h
About 9h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 2h 55m 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.