Staying Home Sucks, home

Roca Chica

Surf spot · Panama

Is it worth the trip?

59Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 0 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
366kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 27 out of 100

Swell
2 ft17 ssoft
Energy
146kJ
Wind
W 12 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 0 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
306kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
27°C

Fri 6 · 67 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
19kJ
Wind
NNW 5 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 77 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
193kJ
Wind
NNW 7 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 71 out of 100

Swell
2 ft14 smushy
Energy
146kJ
Wind
WSW 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 77 out of 100

Swell
3 ft13 ssoft
Energy
196kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 219, poor
  2. Tue 30, too big
  3. Wed 427, poor
  4. Thu 50, too big
  5. Fri 667, good
  6. Sat 777, good
  7. Sun 871, good
  8. Mon 977, good
  9. Tue 1075, good
  10. Wed 1181, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 2–7 ftof swell
  • Water 28 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Dec–Mar7 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for beginner surfers at Roca Chica, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov19, poor3 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)267kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots27°C
Tue 3Nov0, too big4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)366kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots27°C
Wed 4Nov27, poor2 ft17 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)146kJwind from the west, 12 knots27°C
Thu 5Nov0, too big4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)306kJwind from the north, 7 knots27°C
Fri 6Nov67, good2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore26°C
Sat 7Nov77, good3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)193kJwind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore26°C
Sun 8Nov71, good2 ft14 smushy4 ft at break (est.)146kJwind from the west-south-west, 6 knots28°C
Mon 9Nov77, good3 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)196kJwind from the north, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Tue 10Nov75, good3 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)150kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots28°C
Wed 11Nov81, good2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)111kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore28°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 −1.0 mHigh 08:59 +1.1 mLow 15:20 −1.1 mHigh 21:46 +1.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:05 −0.9 mHigh 10:14 +0.9 mLow 16:32 −1.1 mHigh 22:59 +1.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:22 −1.0 mHigh 11:32 +0.9 mLow 17:44 −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.

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About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Roca Chica

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

The spot faces S (189°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (9°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.4 km out (1 in 244). 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 April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best months are usually January, February, March and December, with about 7 good days in 7; in October, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Boca Chica, 4.4 km away (about 10 min by car).

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$765–US$1,450 each

about US$765–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 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$74–US$127
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$148–US$248
Food7 days eating outabout US$168–US$315
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$74–US$127
Totalabout US$765–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: Boca Chica

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Closest

Boca Chica

about 10 min by car · 9 places to stay

about US$54/nightcountry average

See 9 places to stay in Boca Chica · Booking.com

About Boca Chica 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 13h 55m

About 13h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → DAV, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 55 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

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