Is it worth the trip?
27Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 5 s, onshore wind, 11 kn (20 km/h)
Mon 2 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- NE 13 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 128, too small
- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 322, too small
- Wed 430, poor
- Thu 513, poor
- Fri 622, poor
- Sat 732, poor
- Sun 833, poor
- Mon 930, poor
- Tue 1038, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 27 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Apr2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 96kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft4 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 30, poor | 3 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 13, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 12 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 22, poor | 3 ft5 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the north-east, 13 knots | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, poor | 3 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 33, poor | 4 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 30, poor | 3 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, poor | 3 ft6 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 26°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
- Sun 1 NovLow 02:12 −0.7 mHigh 08:39 +0.5 mLow 14:52 −0.4 mHigh 20:55 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:44 −0.6 mHigh 10:08 +0.5 mLow 16:24 −0.4 mHigh 22:22 +0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:05 −0.7 mHigh 11:22 +0.6 mLow 17:35 −0.5 mHigh 23:34 +0.7 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 Apr
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Scar Reef on Google Maps · Directions
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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More surf near here
3 places
- Praia do forte 9.2 km away
- Praia das Ondas 9.3 km away
- Casinha 16.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Scar Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (132°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (312°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 9). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 26°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Monte Gordo, 3.7 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 27°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$1,010–US$1,940 each
about US$1,010–US$1,940 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 SSA, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$536–US$1,110 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$174–US$295 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$161–US$295 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$121 |
| Total | about US$1,010–US$1,940 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
7 min by car · 16 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Monte Gordo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Itacimirim on Booking.com
12 min by car · 22 places to stay
- Beds in Acu da Torre on Booking.com
30 min by car · 4 places to stay
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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 20h 15m
About 20h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SSA, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 1h by road
Flights ORD → SSA on your dates · Skyscanner
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.