Staying Home Sucks, home

Roca Chica

Surf spot · Panama

Is it worth the trip?

77Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 12 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 87 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
389kJ
Wind
SSE 1 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 84 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
337kJ
Wind
NW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 82 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
343kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 73 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
273kJ
Wind
WNW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 67 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
232kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 60 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
147kJ
Wind
NNE 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 59 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
190kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 387, good
  2. Wed 484, good
  3. Thu 582, good
  4. Fri 673, good
  5. Sat 767, good
  6. Sun 860, good
  7. Mon 959, fair
  8. Tue 1054, fair
  9. Wed 1146, fair
  10. Thu 1235, too small

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 intermediate surfers at Roca Chica, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov87, good4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)389kJwind from the south-south-east, 1 knot27°C
Wed 4Nov84, good4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)337kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots28°C
Thu 5Nov82, good4 ft12 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)343kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots28°C
Fri 6Nov73, good3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)273kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots28°C
Sat 7Nov67, good3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)232kJwind from the west, 4 knots27°C
Sun 8Nov60, good3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)147kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore28°C
Mon 9Nov59, fair3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)190kJwind from the north, 5 knots, offshore28°C
Tue 10Nov54, fair3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)167kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots29°C
Wed 11Nov46, fair2 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)111kJwind from the west, 2 knots28°C
Thu 12Nov35, too small2 ft15 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)140kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots28°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 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
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 00:07 +1.2 mLow 06:32 −1.1 mHigh 12:42 +1.0 mLow 18:49 −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.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: 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 (16 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$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 3 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$630
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$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: Boca Chica

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Closest

Boca Chica

16 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 3 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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