Is it worth the trip?
24Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 308kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Tue 3 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 267kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 232kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 ssoft
- Energy
- 130kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 179kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 117kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 ssoft
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 132, too small
- Mon 230, too small
- Tue 327, too small
- Wed 426, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 621, too small
- Sat 718, too small
- Sun 89, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 105, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–15 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 32, too small | 4 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 424kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 32°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 308kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 31°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 267kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 232kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft15 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 130kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 21, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 179kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 117kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft14 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft15 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 30°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 00:41 −1.1 mHigh 06:58 +1.2 mLow 13:18 −1.2 mHigh 19:36 +1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:43 −1.0 mHigh 08:00 +1.1 mLow 14:19 −1.1 mHigh 20:42 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:53 −0.9 mHigh 09:09 +0.9 mLow 15:25 −1.0 mHigh 21:52 +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
The Finca on Google Maps · Directions
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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Finca
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (298°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (118°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.2 km out (1 in 217). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 31°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is El Rosario Chinandega Department.
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$623–US$1,170 each
about US$623–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 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SAL, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$268–US$563 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$94 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$114–US$188 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$127–US$234 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$54–US$94 |
| Total | about US$623–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: El Rosario Chinandega Department
El Rosario Chinandega Department
5 min by car
about US$40/nightcountry average
About El Rosario Chinandega Department its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest town: El Rosario Chinandega Department, 3 km (about 5 min by car)
About US$40 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 13h 10m
About 13h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SAL, direct, then 4h 40m by road
Flights ORD → SAL 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.