Is it worth the trip?
70Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 604kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 528kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 418kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 347kJ
- Wind
- NE 1 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 290kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 217kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 109kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 263, good
- Tue 367, good
- Wed 473, good
- Thu 579, good
- Fri 676, good
- Sat 767, good
- Sun 842, too small
- Mon 929, too small
- Tue 1025, too small
- Wed 1125, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 63, good | 5 ft12 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 604kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 67, good | 5 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 528kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 73, good | 4 ft11 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 418kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 79, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 347kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 76, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 290kJ | offshorewind from the north, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 67, good | 3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 217kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 109kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 25, too small | 1 ft16 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the south, 5 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:25 −0.3 mHigh 07:27 +0.4 mLow 13:36 −0.1 mHigh 18:57 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:05 −0.3 mHigh 07:43 +0.3 mLow 13:54 −0.2 mHigh 19:39 +0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 01:43 −0.2 mHigh 07:56 +0.3 mLow 14:16 −0.2 mHigh 20:21 +0.2 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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec4of 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
The Ranch 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.
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.
More surf near here
3 places
- La Saladita 14.4 km away
- La Boca 15.6 km away
- Troncones beachbreak 21.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Ranch
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (211°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (31°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 23). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 27°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 31°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is La Saladita.
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$825–US$1,510 each
about US$825–US$1,510 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 ORD to ZIH, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$262–US$543 |
| 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$825–US$1,510 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 25 min by car · 15 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About La Saladita its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Troncones on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 28 places to stay
Nearest beds: La Saladita, 15 km (about 25 min 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 35m
About 9h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ZIH, direct, then 1h 15m by road
Flights ORD → ZIH 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.